Unhealthy Attraction
by Tint
Summary: After years of waiting for the boy from her past to return, Popuri finally has found him. But what happens when he doesn't want to remember her?
1. New Neighbor

**Unhealthy Attraction**

**Chapter 1: New Neighbor**

_A/N: I'm baaaaaccccckkkkk! Hello everyone and welcome to a trip to the darker side of Harvest Moon fiction. I must warn everyone that this fic might not be appropriate for readers of all ages. Reader discretion is advised. Based on the world of Back to Nature. Also, I do not own Harvest Moon and its characters or anything else I make reference to._

_With the legal technicalities taken care of, here is a brief introductory paragraph. Basically, this is a story where Popuri falls for the farmer next door. Slowly, her attraction turns into obsession and she deteriorates into a crazed stalker. Basically, it's the same premise as nearly any other stalker movie, but with a Harvest Moon twist. I hope that at least some people read this and enjoy it. Reviews are very much appreciated. Thanks._

_Thoughts and inner voices are italicized, _while regular text is normal font

(-)

She was alone, like always. Standing up on Mother's Hill in that exact location where she had first met him. The wind catching her long pink hair and playing with it, laughingly tossing the stray stands across her tear filled eyes. Day after day, she came to this spot and remembered the carefree days of young, when she and that mysterious boy joyfully spent that summer. From out of her quivering lips came a depressing whistle, carrying a tune full of memories of events from long ago.

He had been what she considered her first love. Although she was very young at the time, she knew that something special was developing out of that innocent friendship. The day that he had left had indeed been a sad one for her, but he had made a promise to return one day. Now, after over a decade of waiting, she was ready to give up.

There had been one faint glimmer of hope, but that turned out to be unfounded. A man of the sea, named Kai, showed up every summer. That young boy had never told her his name, so she believed that this Kai person must have been that very same little boy. Kai went along with the story about being the boy that she had met long ago, but she had learned otherwise since. Kai was only a tiny fling to hold her over until her true love returned.

Her name was Popuri. She was the daughter of the owners of the Poultry Farm in her hometown of Mineral Town. Mineral Town is and always has been a quiet, relaxing getaway from reality. Her mother was very ill so her father left town in search for a cure to help her ailing mother. But, her father had yet to return, just like that boy.

"Popuri."

The voice was faint, but yet sounded oddly familiar. "_Has he returned, just as he had promised?_" She turned, searching for the source of the voice. She was still alone in the tiny meadow. "_The voice must have carried with the wind._" Popuri told herself, returning to her vigilant, yet lonely wait.

"Popuri!"

This time the voice was much clearer. Once again she turned in the direction the voice had come from. This time, though, a figure was climbing up the hill, heading directly towards her. She tried to get a better look at him, but he was still too far away and appeared blurry to her.

"Popuri!"

"_It has to be him!_" Popuri told herself as she began running towards the approaching man. The man, seeing her come towards him, held open his arms to greet her. No sooner had he done this and Popuri had buried herself into his warm welcoming grasp. Her eyes were filling with tears as she held onto her lost love.

Suddenly, the man placed his hands on her shoulders and began shaking her roughly. Popuri looked up into his eyes, confused at his sudden twist of personality. Instead of seeing a pair of friendly eyes staring back at her, she was now peering into dark pools of hatred. The frightened girl fought desperately to push away from the abusive stranger. It was no use; he was too strong for her. She opened up her mouth to protest against his treatment of her, but all that came out was a frightened scream. The stranger held up a clenched fist as if he was about to strike her. All she could do was close her eyes and wait.

"Popuri, wake up!"

"What…?" Popuri mumbled as her eyes began to flutter open. She was back in her room, her arms clenched tightly around her pillow. "_It was only a dream._" She told herself as she forced herself to turn over and look at the person who had awoken her. The figure was dark, with the early morning glare coming through her window, making it impossible to tell who it was.

"Come with me!" The figure grabbed her by the arm and hauled her out of her bed. It was her brother, Rick. It wasn't unusual for her older sibling to wake her up, but today, there was something different about Rick. He seemed to be upset about something.

In one movement, Popuri pushed away her older brother and brought her blanket up to cover herself with. She was still in her nightgown and felt embarrassed before her brother. Luckily, he hadn't seemed to notice. "Get out of my room! Let me get ready and then we can go see what's bothering you!" Popuri ordered as she pushed her brother out the door, slamming it behind him.

"Fine! Don't take too long, this is important." Rick stated from the other side of the door. The sound of his angered footsteps storming down the stairs followed.

Rick and Popuri had never gotten along. They might have been on friendlier terms when they were younger, but things had gotten sour after their father left. Rick claimed that their dad left to find a way to cure their mother's illness. On the other hand, Popuri knew that the jerk had gone off with some cheap fling that had passed through town. Rick was just too stupid and bullheaded to figure out the truth. Popuri often told her brother this. In return, Rick treated Popuri like dirt.

"_What's his problem?_" Popuri asked herself as she went to her closet. She opened up the door and began flicking through her wardrobe. She carefully considered the collection of dresses that were all the same. Popuri didn't know what it was about that simple outfit, but it drove the boys in town crazy. That was the exact effect that she wanted and it made her feel good about herself.

After nearly a full hour of getting herself ready for the day, she was finally finished. She had nearly forgotten that Rick had wanted her to see something, so she was surprised to see her brother waiting at the bottom of the staircase. Popuri had a confused look on her face as she stepped off the bottom step, passing by her brother. "So... What did you want to see me for?" She asked as she coolly brushed past her sibling and up to the breakfast table.

Rick seemed to have cooled down since getting kicked out of Popuri's room. He calmly placed a palm down on the table, blocking Popuri's path to her utensils. "How many jobs do you have around here?" Rick inquired, leaning over his sister's shoulder.

Popuri carelessly shrugged her shoulders. "Don't know. Maybe five?"

"How about one? All you have to do is make sure that the chicken coop's door is closed and locked and you can't even do that." Rick sneered as he coyly headed towards the front door.

"What do you mean? I shut that door every night!" Popuri protested.

"Except for last night. Come look at what happens when you don't do your job." Rick beckoned for Popuri to cease eating and join him. Popuri hesitated slightly before pushing away her food. Rick had already gone outside and was waiting for her to join him. Sure enough, the chicken coop's door was gaping open. "Go inside." Rick ordered, pushing his sister towards the building.

Popuri shot an evil glare at her brother, sticking her tongue out in rebellion. She was filled with a small feeling of dread as she peeked into the chicken coop. The sight that greeted her was almost enough to make her vomit on the spot. Right in the middle of the coop was the mangled corpse of a hen. "Which one was it?" Popuri asked weakly.

Rick, for some odd reason, was smiling. The smile quickly vanished from his face when Popuri turned to look at him as if he was hiding something. Popuri didn't seem to notice, mostly because her eyes were brimming with tears. "I checked on all the other hens. The only one missing was Pon."

This news devastated Popuri. Pon had been her personal favorite, having raised the hen since it was but a little chick. Now, because of her own lack of responsibility, Pon was dead. It was almost more than she could handle. "I've got to go talk to mom." Popuri stated, turning to storm towards the farm house.

Rick merely smiled as Popuri vanished indoors. He reached down, picking up a bloody hammer, calmly wiping the blood and feathers off the flat surface of the mallet. "That should teach to act more like an adult instead of a child." The older sibling commented as he tossed the murder weapon into the river.

"It isn't your fault, my dear." Those were the first words that Rick heard as he stepped into the farmhouse. His mother, Lillian, was consoling the weeping Popuri. It was obvious, looking at the two women, that they were related, because of the bright pink hair they shared. In fact, it probably would be impossible to tell them apart if they were the same age.

"But it is! I left the hen house door open! I forgot and now, Pon is dead!" Popuri sobbed.

Lillian looked up at Rick for confirmation. Rick merely nodded his head as he passed by on route to the refrigerator. Popuri sneered at Rick as he loaded up a tray of food and carried it with him outside. "Rick doesn't seem to care." Popuri complained, looking up at her mother.

The frail woman merely sighed, shaking her head. "I don't know what I'd do with you two." Popuri looked up, surprised at her mother's comment. Then, Lillian headed upstairs, probably to rest a bit. Her mother was slowly, but surely, growing weaker. This fact scared Popuri, knowing that if something happened to her mother, the Poultry Farm would be left to either her or Rick. She was going to have to really impress her mother and show that she was capable of running the place if she had any hope of being the one to inherit the family business.

Popuri got up from her seat and walked towards the door. She had something on her mind and it needed to be let loose. Popuri took one step out the door, spotting Rick and calling out to him, "Rick!" Rick hardly seemed to react to Popuri's call, acting as if he hadn't heard anything. Popuri stomped up to her brother and turned him to face her. "What is your problem?" She screamed into his face.

Rick gave Popuri a harsh shove, sending the girl to the ground. Then Rick motioned as if he was about to strike his sister across the face, but held his fist back as Popuri flinched. "I guess I'm just trying to get you to grow up by taking responsibility for your actions." Rick muttered before returning to his work.

"Oh, I hate you, Rick!" Popuri yelled, turning her back to her brother and storming away. "Popuri?" Rick called after Popuri, but she made no sign that she had heard him. Rick watched as Popuri made her way past a confused looking stranger and up towards the hot spring. The stranger cast an intrigued gaze after Popuri, almost as if he knew her from somewhere. "Can I help you?" Rick asked, pulling the stranger out of his near dreamlike state.

The stranger acted somewhat surprised by the sudden attention that was being brought upon him. He nervously swept aside a few stray strands of brown hair that had fallen across his face. All the stranger did was smile awkwardly and make as if he was going to leave. "Wait." Rick called out as the stranger turned his back. The stranger turned back towards Rick and waited for Rick to make his request. "Did you see my sister? Can you go find her for me and apologize?" The stranger nodded his head in understanding before taking off the same path that Popuri had taken.

"That must be our new neighbor, Jack." Rick looked over in surprise, seeing his mother standing just barely outside the door. Rick rushed over to his mother's side, "You shouldn't be outside, Mother. It's not healthy for you to be out in the sun." Lillian accepted her son's help as he led her back indoors. Trust Rick to start acting like a little suck-up.

Meanwhile, up on Mother's Hill, Popuri was sobbing her heart out. "I'm sure that I shut that door last night. It's the last thing I do every night, so why would I forget last night?" Popuri asked aloud as if there was someone who was going to be listening to her.

This just happened to be at the exact same time as when Jack was climbing up to the hot spring area. He had overheard every word that Popuri had just said. Deep down inside, he felt sorry for her. Jack walked up behind Popuri and placed his hand on her shoulder.

Popuri slowly turned her head and found herself looking deep into the eyes of the friendly stranger. She could feel her heart start to beat faster and faster as she felt a strange attraction for this person who she had never seen before. "I'm so sad about what happened… but Rick is so mean!"

Jack's eyes showed sympathy as he produced a bouquet of flowers from his rucksack. Popuri immediately accepted the gift, clutching the flowers against her chest. "Thank you. You are the kindest stranger that I've ever met. I'm Popuri." Popuri extended her hand towards Jack. The farmer looked at her for a moment, shrugging his shoulders casually. Then he turned and walked away, leaving Popuri by herself.

The following day, Popuri was watching Jack at work on his farm. Jack was completely unaware of Popuri's unnerving watch as she was leaning over the fence that separated the two farms. A sigh escaped Popuri's lips as her eyes followed the rugged farmer work strenuously away.

"Popuri, you already have a boyfriend. There's no point bothering with that one." Rick warned as he carried out his chores behind Popuri. Popuri merely let out another sigh acknowledging Rick's statement. She couldn't bring herself to look away from the gorgeous man that had her so infatuated.

"_Maybe, just maybe, he's that same boy who stayed at that exact farm so long ago. If it is him, I swear that I will do anything to make him remember what we shared._"Popuri promised herself, a frightening smile crossing her lips as she continued her vigilant watch over the farmer.

(-)

_A/N: There, I finally finished the first chapter. I've been working on this for a long time, but never had the time to complete it. Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I know that Popuri isn't as creepy of a stalker as I had promised, but give her time to spiral downwards. Thanks for reading and please review. I promise to update soon._


	2. Rejection and Anger

**Unhealthy Attraction**

**Chapter 2: Rejection and Anger**

_A/N: Thanks for the warm reception, everyone. Good to see that some people have come back after Gamer to Farmer. For your information, Mage and I are living as close to "happily ever after" as we can. Thanks for remembering her; she says thank you as well. In fact, she is taking a much larger role with this fic, coming up with most of the plot herself. I must say that she is a deviously talented woman, knowing full well what will catch the reader's attention. Bless my luck. Hello to all the new people as well! This chapter ended up being a little longer than the first, but I'm sure that you all don't mind. Well, enough babbling. Time to send Popuri down another notch._

(-)

"She's still out there." Rick muttered to his mother. Lillian merely smiled as she continued to prepare dinner. Rick was standing just outside the front door, his eyes glued to Popuri. The young pink haired girl was leaning over the fence that separated their farm from the neighboring farmer's land. Rick couldn't be sure, but it looked like Popuri was watching Jack as he worked. "Creepy." He muttered to himself as he allowed the door to swing shut.

"Don't worry so much about her. Popuri thinks that she's in love, but I know she'll get over it as soon as Kai comes back to town." Lillian commented, causing Rick to shudder at the mere mention of the name Kai. Lillian laughed slightly at her son's overprotective nature. "You can't protect her from everything in this world."

Rick shot his mother a glare. "I suppose that's a job for dad, isn't it?"

It was Lillian's turn to glare coldly at her son. "Don't remind me. I never want to hear about that man again." Lillian let out a depressed sigh, thinking about what had been, but no longer was. She paused momentarily before retuning to her cooking, where she was preparing dinner for herself and children. "Go out there and tell your sister that dinner is just about ready." Lillian instructed her son.

"I'd rather let her starve out there." Rick muttered as he got up from his seat. He would much rather leave her to fend for herself, but since it was an order from his mother, he didn't want to disobey her. Grudgingly, Rick went over to the front door, opened it slightly, and called out, "Supper's ready!"

Popuri was rudely awakened from her daydream like state. She uttered a low growl directed at her brother before returning to watching Jack. "Now!" Rick demanded. It took every ounce of Popuri's energy to tear herself away from Jack. She cast one last longing look over her shoulder at Jack before heading inside. As she past by Rick, her brother shook her head in disapproval of Popuri's actions. "You're just jealous." Popuri muttered, adding a playful elbow to her brother's stomach as she pushed herself inside. "What's for dinner, mom?" Popuri asked, taking a whiff of the delicious aroma drifting off of the food.

"I fixed up a couple of fish that Greg brought by earlier." Lillian explained, proudly displaying some of her excellent cooking. Lillian was famous in Mineral Town for her cooking, but because of her illness, she was unable to participate in the annual festival. That just meant for delicious food for Popuri and Rick. Lillian flashed a friendly smile at her children as they took their seats at the table, "So, has Jack asked you to tomorrow's Goddess Festival yet?"

The younger pink haired woman dejectedly shook her head negative. "I don't understand it! I've been waiting for him to come over here and ask me, but he hasn't made the first move!"

"Why don't you go over and ask him instead of watching him from sunrise to sunset?" Rick dared to ask. He ended up receiving a cold glare from Popuri that told him not to touch the subject. "It wouldn't be proper." Popuri stated, sticking her nose slightly up into the air.

"Maybe he found some other girl to go to the festival with?" Lillian suggested, much to the chagrin of Popuri. The thought of this occurrence had yet to have been thought of. Popuri shifted nervously in her chair, obviously worried that her mother had guessed the truth. "Go ahead and ask him." Lillian told her daughter. Popuri awkwardly got to her feet and stumbled out the door, turning towards the neighboring farm.

Rick waited until he was sure that his sister was well out of hearing range before bursting out in a fit of laughter. Lillian shook her head at Rick in disapproval, "Don't laugh! You were just as paranoid when you started courting Karen!"

(-)

The sun was just on its way below the horizon, casting a rather heavenly glow around Popuri. She was attempting to maintain somewhat of a regal air about her as she hurried over to Jack's farm. Popuri lifted the bottom of her dress up to around her knees, trying not to trip over the lengthy article of clothing. Due to the extra attention that she was paying to her clothing, she didn't happen to notice the large muscle bound man before her until after she ran into his chest. The contact was so unexpected that Popuri ended up falling to the ground.

"Sorry about that, Miss Popuri. I guess that you didn't see me. Where were you headed in such a rush?" Popuri looked up into the eyes of the man who knocked her over. It was Zach, the shipper. He was heading in the direction of the dock, his arms loaded up with an assortment of produce and things gathered from up on Mother's Hill.

Popuri lifted herself up off the ground, brushing away the dirt from her blouse. "For your information, I was going to ask Jack if he wants to go to the Goddess Festival with me." Popuri stated rather rudely. Zach and Popuri weren't even remotely close as friends, mostly because she found Zach to be a little creepy. This was due to the fact that she figured that Zach was just a guy who tried to use his muscles to score with chicks.

Zach seemed to completely disregard the tone of Popuri's voice. The shipper motioned towards the direction from whence he came, "I just came from there. I'm afraid that he currently isn't at home. He usually is waiting for me to arrive and take his produce. This was the first day that he hasn't been there. He must be busy in town. Well, see you later." Zach pushed his way past Popuri and continued towards the dock.

"I'll still go check to see if Jack is home." Popuri told herself, cursing her poor timing. It only took her a few steps before she found herself on the grounds of Jack's farm. The place looked even more attractive this close. The field was very well taken care of, with nearly a dozen plots of crops growing. It was a stunning arrangement of colors and natural beauty.

Popuri stepped up to the door of the tiny shack that served as house and home for the attractive farmer. She lifted up her hand to the door, knocking lightly. Nearly immediately, a high pitched barking came from inside the house, signifying that at least Jack's dog was at home. The sound of scratching came from the bottom of the door as the dog wanted to greet the visitor.

"Jack! Are you home?" Popuri called out.

No response.

"_He'll probably be back any minute. I'll just wait until he comes home and then I'll ask him out to the Festival._" Popuri told herself, sitting down against the side of the house, giving her a grand view of the fields as the sun gave one final glimmer of light over the world.

Popuri must have fallen asleep at one point in time because the sound of approaching voices jolted her back to reality. The voices were coming from just around the corner, probably right in front of the very house she was leaning against. Jack had come back, just as she had predicted. Now all she had to do was ask him to tomorrow's Goddess Festival.

But, one of the voices, sounding extremely familiar to her, caused her to stop. "Try not to work so hard from now on, ok? I don't want you showing up at the Clinic every day because you overworked yourself again." The voice belonged to that disgusting twit, Elli. Popuri despised Elli. The girl was nearly the exact opposite of Popuri, being much more mature and relaxed, even more emotionally stable.

The next voice was completely unbeknownst to Popuri. The voice was quite gruff, but sounded very friendly, each word coming as if it was delivered by a heralding angel. Just the distant sound was more than enough to leave Popuri breathless. In all of her time watching Jack, he had never once spoken a single word. Now, the words he delivered came as an unexpected slap across the face. "What if I showed up at the Clinic to see you?" Jack flirted, trying to be sweet.

Popuri had crawled alongside the house and was now peeking around the corner, witnessing the entire scene. Elli was obviously taken aback by the sudden move that Jack had placed on her. Her face was turning a darker shade, visible even under the moonlight that illuminated the property. Slowly, the blushing turned into a smile. "I'd like that."

It was Jack's turn to smile. His words were becoming gentler with each successive pass he made. "Then you wouldn't mind if I came by tomorrow to take you to the Goddess Festival." Jack stated reasonably.

A gasp managed to escape Popuri's lips, nearly loud enough to attract the attention of the two flirting young adults. If either one had heard her, they weren't showing the slightest notion. In fact, the two appeared to be falling for each other, drawing ever so closer. Now, their faces were mere inches away from each other. "Call it a date." Elli murmured, her head tilting slightly as she found her lips connecting with Jack's.

The two stayed in their lip-lock for nearly a full minute. The sight was causing a storm of jealousness to brew up inside of Popuri. There she was, just a few small feet away from the man she had grown attracted too, and he was lost with some nurse's tongue jammed halfway down his throat. Popuri almost felt like getting up and ruining the entire romantic scene with an outburst, but she found herself lacking the energy to even climb to her feet. She tried to call out something, anything, but nothing escaped her lips other than a meek whimper.

Finally, as if only as a necessity, the two groping youths came up for air. A sly smile now donned Jack's face as he held on to Elli, his gaze lost deeply in the empty abyss of the twit's pair of dull brown eyes. "Why don't we continue this inside?" Jack suggested, using his distinct size advantage to move the caressing pair up against the door.

Elli motioned agreement by reaching around Jack with one hand and pushing open the door. Jack dove in for another kiss, nailing his target square on. Elli let out a guilty giggle as she and Jack managed to find their way through the open doorway amid the passionate exchange of exploring kisses. The last sight that Popuri saw of them was Jack reaching around Elli, carefully untying the knot that held Elli's apron in place. The simple article of clothing came undone, dropping to the ground in an unwelcome signal that the courting had gone on to the next level.

Popuri let out a sound that was a mix of a disappointed sigh and an angry growl as she got to her feet and headed home. Rick was there, waiting, even at this ungodly hour, a smile across his face knowing that Popuri had failed. She regarded her brother with a low growl as she passed by him and into the house. Then, she headed straight to her bedroom, not wanting to face the reality that she was going to the Goddess Festival all alone.

(-)

The faint, yet mouthwatering aroma of breakfast came drifting up the stairs. Popuri jumped out of bed, eager to get a taste of the wonderful food awaiting her. Although it was only for a moment, Popuri was forgetting about what she had witnessed the night before. She tossed on her robe and ran down the stairs. She was met with a warm smile from her mother as she sat down at the table. "Good morning, dear." Lillian greeted. Popuri merely nodded in response, her mouth full of food.

"So, is Jack coming to get you?" Lillian asked. This caused Popuri to stop eating, her mouth quivering as she was reminded that she was going solo to the Goddess Festival. Lillian immediately sensed that something was amiss, rushing to her daughter's side to offer consolation, "I'm sorry, dear. I didn't know."

"No… I'm… ok. It's fine." Popuri sobbed. She had her heart set on the hopes that she would be going to the Festival with Jack, but that was no longer the reality. If only she had made the first move earlier. That first meeting between the two must not have meant anything more than a friendly gesture. But, to her, Popuri believed that it meant something more. Now, it seemed to her that her earlier procrastination had resulted in another woman winning the prize.

Lillian was desperately searching for something that would help ease the awkwardness of the situation. "Come with me, Popuri, I have something to give you." Lillian offered, directing her daughter to follow her back up the stairs. Popuri followed, curiosity drawing her forward even with the tears in her eyes.

Popuri found her mother searching deep within her own closet, trying to locate something that must not have been used for years if not decades. "What are you… looking for?" Popuri asked, the sobbing of her voice nearly under control.

"Hah! There it is!" Lillian proclaimed in celebration, backing out of the closet. In her hands, held aloft, was a beautifully stunning pink dress with strands of roses running along the waist. Popuri had to think back a long time to the last time she had seen this ancient dress. Way back when Popuri was very, very little, Lillian had worn this dress in her final dance at the Goddess Festival. "This dress has been in my family for generations, my dear. I think that today, you will inherit this dress. Put it on." Lillian ordered, her eyes becoming teary as she watched Popuri carefully change into the outfit.

The dress fit perfectly, hiding the few flaws that Popuri had and greatly enhancing her good features. "Wow." Popuri uttered, her voice expressing the sheer amazement that Popuri felt. She looked into the nearest mirror, examining herself and twirling about gaily. Popuri turned to her mother, eager to express her gratitude, but nothing came to mind that suited the moment.

"It's ok, dear. You don't need to say thank you or anything. I'll be the one who makes the emotional speech for you. You look absolutely stunning, dear. I can't believe how gorgeous you are." Lillian wiped away a stray tear that was rolling down along her cheek before continuing, "Just like a pink-haired angel, becoming the embodiment of everything beautiful that there is in nature. Now, go out there, dance your heart out, and win over the man of your dreams." Lillian gently placed a kiss on her daughter's forehead. Then Popuri was gone, rushing down the stairs and out the door, eager to carry out her mother's wishes.

The Town Square was already filling up with people. The Goddess Festival was a village favorite, simply because it marked the beginning of Spring. Plus, the guys liked watching the young girls dancing around in seductive dresses. Today wasn't unlike any of the other Goddess Festivals that Popuri had attended, either as a dancer or as a mere spectator. Nearly every person in town was present, except the people who couldn't make it or preferred to live in isolation.

Also present were Jack and Elli, who were just arriving, arm-in-arm. Elli gave her lover a deep, engorging kiss before the two separated. Elli joined the other three girls, while Jack, who Popuri was much more interested in, made his way to the back of the crowd, nearly out of sight from everyone.

"Hey, Popuri! We're almost ready to start! Get over here!" Karen, Rick's girlfriend, ordered. Popuri grudgingly took her eyes off her prey as she got into her position for the start of the dance. "Ready?" Karen asked down the line, receiving a series of affirmatives. Karen was the unofficial leader of the dancers, so her orders were final. "Ok. On my count. Three… two… one… zero."

Popuri immediately let herself loose, descending into a nearly unconscious state, as she began the memorized dance steps. They had practiced this dance so many times that it was second nature to all of them. Each girl added their own personal flair to the scheduled twirls, whether it is a humble blush or a bashful flutter of eyelashes. But, Popuri had her own plans to gain Jack's attention that were nearly guaranteed to work.

It was Popuri's turn to do her twirl. She locked her eyes with Jack, who seemed memorized at the mere sight of the stunning women before him. The meaning behind her gaze was not lost on the other males in the crowd, who apparently thought they were the lucky target of Popuri's attention. Popuri gracefully lifted one foot off the ground, pushing herself into the twirl. The long silky Goddess dress spun about her seductively, even managing to come to a rest with Popuri so that the slit gave an enticing show of leg. A chorus of primitive cheers erupted from the men. "_Typical._"

The remainder of the dance went smoothly, with a few of the girls constantly trying to one-up the girl before them. A friendly competition that evolved over the years, but actually had a purpose behind it this year, even though it was unknown to the girls other than Popuri. After what seemed like hours of dancing, the music finally died down, only to be replaced by the wild cheers of the spectators. "One of the best Goddess Festivals ever!" Someone proclaimed, drawing another round of cheers.

Deep in the middle of the celebrating villagers, Popuri was searching for Jack. Surely he had seen her dance and had been enticed by it. "You were amazing." A voice stated from her left. Popuri turned to see Jack approaching her. "_Yes!_" Popuri rejoiced as Jack came nearer.

Her rejoicing came a bit too prematurely. Jack walked straight past her and into the open arms of Elli. The two instantly puckered up and picked up their game of tonsil hockey as if it had never taken a break. Popuri, mouth open in perturbed shock, watched helplessly as the two enjoyed each other's saliva. This was the final straw.

Popuri calmly walked up to the two lip smackers, standing patiently to the side of them. "Ahem." She cleared her throat, trying to break up the disgusting interfacing. No use. "Ahem!" She repeated, much louder this time. Still no responsive action from the necking lovebirds.

Popuri was probably going to regret her next action for a long time coming, but it proved to be immediately satisfying. The pink haired poultry raiser placed her left hand on the shoulder of the brown haired nurse, roughly yanking her away from her hitch. Then, with such ferocious force, Popuri brought her right hand across Elli's face. The noise the slap created was so loud that everyone in the Square turned to see what had happened.

Elli now lay at Popuri's feet, her hand clutched tightly against the stinging throb where Popuri's handprint still remained. The force of the blow had left the girl stunned. She hardly knew what she was seeing from her near prone position on the ground. Was it just her, or had her assailant just kissed her boyfriend? Indeed, this was what had transpired. With an evil smirk across her face, Popuri broke the kiss with Jack. The entire crowd watched in stunned silence as Popuri proudly strutted out of the square and back home. Victory was hers at the end of the day.

(-)

_A/N: I must say that I am rather proud of this chapter. Hopefully most people feel the same way about this chapter as I do. The entire make-out scene between Jack and Elli wasn't in the original plot, but I'm glad that we thought of it as I wrote this. That's the one part in particular that I believe was done extremely well compared to previous scenes with similar objectives that I have written. Please leave a review regarding this chapter and your opinion if I sent Popuri down a little too far at once. Thanks for reading._


	3. Threats

**Unhealthy Attraction**

**Chapter 3: Threats**

_A/N: Welcome to the third part of this tale of dark intentions. Last chapter, Popuri met with rejection. Jack had already found another woman in Elli, sending Popuri into a jealous fit, attacking the other woman and kissing the man she has become attracted to. Now watch what happens next._

_Mage and I apologize if it seems that Jack and Elli went a little fast in their relationship. We have a reason behind it, but it must remain a secret until we reveal it much later in the story. Personally, I don't even know how exactly it's going to work, but I trust that Mage has everything planned. We're trying to keep Popuri innocent for as long as possible, but where's the fun in that? We'll try to keep her from becoming overbearing for a few more chapters. Enjoy!_

(-)

It was exactly five days after the Harvest Goddess Festival incident. The town was abuzz with excitement and gossip. Stories flew from everyone's mouths as they came up with odd and impossible reasons behind Popuri's outburst. Popuri had even heard that there was an illegal gambling circuit being set up to take bets on who would win between Elli and Popuri. Mayor Thomas had to resort to forcing Officer Harris to patrol the town and area for nearly the full length of the day, just in case Popuri and Elli crossed paths.

There were quite a few instances over the past few days where the two found themselves too close together for comforts sake. Upon realizing that their rival was in the same area as they were, both girls tried their hardest to ignore each other. This method proved effective as both girls insulted the other even when the other was within earshot. But every time, Officer Harris or somebody else would separate the two, sending them in opposite directions.

Unfortunately, the law enforcements were unable to keep tabs on Popuri and Elli at all hours of the day. On this third day of stand-off, Elli finally confronted Popuri. It was very late at night, well past the witching hour. Popuri was awakened by the irregular tapping of something striking against her window. The pink haired girl sat up, brushing her hair out of her face. She looked out the window to see Elli below, tossing loose pebbles against the house.

"What do you want?" Popuri demanded after opening up her window. In response, Popuri was struck with another pebble tossed her direction. "Don't make me come down there!" Popuri warned, closing the window. She tossed a robe on over top of her nightgown and began making her way down the stairs.

"Popuri? What are you doing up at this hour?" Lillian's dreary voice drifted through the house behind Popuri.

"Nothing, mother. Just needed some fresh air." Popuri echoed back.

"That's alright, dear. Just don't take too long. You need your beauty sleep."

Elli was waiting for her as she stepped out into the night air. The weather was perfect, not a cloud in the sky. There was one storm cloud forming overhead of the two girls as they came face to face with each other. Flames burned in their eyes as they looked over their opponent, eyeing the other girl up from head to two. "What do you want?" Popuri asked again, knowing that this time she was going to get a response out of Elli.

The brunette got straight to the point. "Jack's mine, Popuri, and there's nothing that you can do to separate us."

Popuri issued a low, angry growl as she replied, "You're wrong. Jack and I are destined to be together, not you and Jack. So, step down."

This brought a laugh out of Elli as she considered what Popuri had just claimed. "Destined? You actually believe in that garbage? That's too funny." Elli burst out into a fit of laughter as Popuri tried to control her rising temper. "Ok, ok. Say that your "destiny" is to be with Jack. Tell me what vision that you've had that leads you to believe your prophecy."

Popuri let out a long breath, trying to calm herself. Hanging at her sides, her fists were slowly unclenching. "It's a long story." Popuri began, thinking back to those lonely years as a child that she had. "Do you remember that one summer when the old farmer's grandson spent the summer at the farm?"

Elli nodded her head, allowing Popuri to continue. "Well, one day, when I was picking wild-flowers up on Mother's Hill, I stumbled upon that little boy. He was having fun on the farm, but felt lonely, just like me. The two of us immediately became really good friends, spending the entire summer together." Popuri felt herself hesitate as she thought of the tearful day when the little boy returned to the big city.

"Come on! I don't have all night!" Elli prodded. Her eyes were a mixture of tears and anger, as if she was fighting some inner struggle. A part of her was deeply touched by Popuri's story, but the other half remembered why she had came here. The victory would come to the side that most believed Popuri's story.

Popuri wiped away a stray tear that had formed in the corner of her eye. It would have been a rather heart-tugging moment if the two conversers weren't on the verge of gauging each-other's eyes out. "Summer came to an end and that meant that the boy was going home. I managed to see him off, and that ended up being the last I saw of him."

Elli shrugged her shoulders, letting out a rather bored sigh. "That's a nice story. Shame that's all that it is. Jack told me that he's never been to Mineral Town before. He just came to inherit his grandfather's farm. He might be related to the boy that you knew, so that's why you're attracted to him." Elli suggested.

The thought had crossed Popuri's mind once, but she had quickly dismissed it. She had known from the very first time she had seen Jack that he was the boy from her past. Jack was destined to be hers and there was nothing that Elli could do to stop her from completing her dream. "Sorry, but your lies aren't going to persuade me to forget about Jack. He was only distracted by a slut…"

Suddenly, Elli reached over and delivered a stinging slap across Popuri's face. The handprint perfectly matched the color of Popuri's hair. "How dare you call me a slut! If anyone's a slut in this town, it's you!" Elli practically screamed into Popuri's face. She could handle Popuri being jealous, but that insult had crossed the line.

Meanwhile, Popuri was seething. "You shouldn't have done that, Elli. All I can tell you is to stay away from Jack. If you don't, I might end up doing something to you that I'll regret. Now, get off my farm before I kill you." Popuri's voice was colder than ice, each word coated with venom.

The threat was so unexpected that Elli was left speechless. Popuri smiled wickedly, slowly backing up a few steps. Her hands were searching behind her for anything that she might be able to use as a weapon. She felt the cold, welcoming feel of metal. Elli's eyes were full with fear as Popuri lifted the axe up over her shoulder, casually approaching Elli. That was more than enough to frighten the poor girl away.

Popuri calmly dropped the axe as she walked up to the house. Inside, it was perfectly quiet, just as she had left it. Too bad, that Popuri's mind was swirling with crazed ideas of what she would do next. "That wasn't very nice." A voice stated from the shadows as Popuri approached the stairs.

"I did what I had to do, Rick. Now please quit showing up after everything that I do." Popuri shot into the shadows where the voice had come from. "_Hopefully, I won't have to make good on my promise. Elli should know well enough to listen to what I said. But, if she didn't…"_ She'd think about it in the morning.

(-)

Popuri woke up, none too pleased to realize that she had slept in. Today was the Local Horse Race and she had no hopes of getting there in time to watch any of the races. It was a shame really. She had been looking forward to the annual event. There was a part of her that deeply loved the magnificent beasts. "_Wait a minute._" Popuri thought, "_I forgot that Jack has a pony of his own. Maybe I'll head over there and ask to see his horse._" Plus, it gave her an excuse to talk to Jack.

Lillian barely had time to say "good morning" to her daughter as the girl rushed out the door. "I take it that she want to catch the end of the festival before it's over." Lillian surmised with a chuckle. Popuri's antics were providing the entertainment that Lillian needed in her otherwise boring life.

This second visit to Jack's farm wasn't starting out much better than her first one. Jack, once again, was nowhere in sight. Popuri knocked on his door, once again being greeted by the over-excited barking of a dog on the inside. "_Of course he isn't here. He's at the festival with everyone else._" Popuri scolded herself for her blond moment.

She was turning to leave when she caught glimpse of an open stable door down along the length of the field. "_Jack doesn't have to know that I stopped by._" Her mind was beginning to consider the consequences of her actions as only a frail piece of hindsight. "_Plus, Jack won't be happy if his horse escapes on him while he's not here._"

Popuri timidly peeked into the stable, just in case that someone was already there. She didn't want to stride in like she owned the place, only to find Jack there. That wouldn't look too good, now would it? Inside the medium sized building was an absolutely gorgeous young foal. His coat was a magnificent dark brown shade that blended in with nature. Every muscle in his body was tense, showing off the perfect specimen that he was going to become when he was older.

"This horse is perfect." Popuri stated in awe as she carefully approached the young horse. She had seen some outstanding horses before, but this one was one level above all of those other creatures. The horse sensed that Popuri meant it no harm, lowering its head to Popuri's outstretched hand. Her hand made contact with the beast's nose, lightly caressing the fine hairs that covered its body.

Popuri was stunned by the sheer beauty of this horse standing before her. She stood there, with her hand resting on the horse's forehead, for at least five minutes. The horse seemed to be enjoying the company and love, almost as if this was a very uncommon situation that it was in. Popuri found her eyes roaming over the creature, admiring every inch of the beast. Then, her eyes came to a rest on the saddle hanging on the nearby wall, beckoning her to take the horse for a ride. Even the horse itself seemed to be coaxing her into giving into her desire.

Popuri lifted the saddle off of its hangings, gently transferring the accessory onto the horse's back. The horse snorted lightly, more out of pleasure than annoyance. "_I think it wants to go for a ride, too._" Popuri thought as she placed one foot in the stirrup, her hands reaching up around the horse's neck.

Just as she began to pull herself up onto the creature's back, the sound of distant voices alerted her that someone was approaching the farm. Popuri dropped back down to the ground, snatching the saddle as she went. "_I hope he doesn't notice that the saddle was moved._" Popuri began to worry as she tossed the saddle to a place close, but not exactly, where it had previously been.

Luckily for her, Popuri heard the moving voices come to a stop. Judging from the last place she had heard them from, Popuri guessed that the people were standing in front of the farmhouse. Once again, Popuri was drawn forward by curiosity. By now, you would have expected that she would have figured out that she didn't want to know what Jack was up too. This time, after peeking out of the stable and towards the farmhouse, she was greeted with the familiar, unwelcome sight of Jack standing next to Elli, her hands resting in his.

Popuri felt the anger inside her rising. "_Elli should have listened._" She growled as her eyes attempted to burn holes into Elli's skull. If looks could kill… Popuri kept watching, trying to pick up on the conversation.

Jack's voice was barely audible at this distance. Popuri could only catch fragments of sentences, but she was able to catch the main parts. "… picnic dinner… up on Mother's Hill? … At 7…" Jack was saying. Elli just stood there and smiled, nodding her head in agreement. "_What does he see in that twit?_" Popuri seethed as she watched the couple exchange a parting kiss before Jack vanished indoors.

In the short second that Jack had the door open, his dog managed to squeeze outside. The tiny mutt came running straight towards the stable, as if it had known that Popuri was hiding there. Then, the beast began barking wildly, trying to inform Jack that someone was there. "Shhh…" Popuri hissed at the puppy.

Jack merely laughed at the actions of his dog. "He really likes the horse. Why don't you go check him out?" Jack suggested to Elli. Popuri felt her heart skip a few beats. If Elli came over here…

"That sounds like a great idea!" Elli giggled, gaily hopping in the direction of the stable. Jack shut the door behind him as he disapeared inside, thinking nothing more could arise out of the situation. If only he knew what he had started.

Popuri found herself curling into an attack position. She tried to conceal herself behind the stable door as Elli approached. Her breathing was filling with tenseness as she prepared for what was coming. Finally, Elli stepped into the stable, immediately noticing Popuri. "What are you doing…?" Elli trailed off as Popuri attacked.

(-)

_A/N: In one of life's cruel ironies, an accident has bed-ridden one of the people upon whom a character from Gamer to Farmer was based. In fact the injury is nearly exactly the same as the one that befell Tint in the early stages of the fic. My real life brother, Neil, broke his arm in three different places, all of which were right near the shoulder blade. Of course, this was a result of football. Neil even tried flirting with the helicopter pilot whilst under the influence of morphine. I salute you, brother!_


	4. A Missing Person

**Unhealthy Attraction**

**Chapter 4: A Missing Person**

_A/N: I've only got one thing to say before I start this chapter. It's just a reminder to everyone that this is a tale of the dark side of Harvest Moon. I don't think this will end as happily as GTF did. In fact, something's going to happen real soon that darkens the tale even more. But, I'm not telling what it is! Just don't hate me._

(-)

Popuri awoke in a jolt. Every bone and muscle in her body ached at the slightest movement she made. She felt as if she had just been crushed underneath a heavy boulder. "_Why am I so sore?_" She asked herself as she forced herself to crawl out of bed.

Her body wasn't the only thing that had her bothered. She had been having a horrible dream where she had gotten into a fight with Elli over Jack. The details of the dream were fuzzy, quickly vanishing from her memory banks. Popuri came to the conclusion that she must have been thrashing about in her sleep in response to the dream. That must be why she felt so uncomfortable.

"_Maybe if I go take a morning bath in the hot springs, I'll feel better._" Popuri concluded as she got dressed. Even this simple task was causing her to wince as her hands passed over some particularly sore spots. There were even a few dark blue bruises in a couple of spots. "_I wonder if Doctor Tim does any psychological work…_"

The dim glow of the sun rising up in the distance told Popuri that she ought to be quiet, lest she wake her mother. Rick was probably awake, listening to her creep outside, waiting for the opportune moment to scare the life out of her. Popuri felt herself becoming tense as she tip-toed down the flight of stairs. Each step creaked under the slightest brush of her foot. The noise echoed throughout the house, causing Popuri to cringe. After each creek, she paused and listened for approaching footsteps. None came, so Popuri hurried through the darkness and into the early morning air.

Popuri darted up the path beside her house and up to the hot springs. She passed by Gotz' house, the shuffle of her feet muffled by a loud snoring coming from inside. It was too early in the morning, even for early birds like Gotz. Everything was so serene and peaceful, adding to the natural beauty of the season. Popuri felt amazingly graceful as she passed along the path and up the stairs. Her body was cutting through the silence, all the while staying part of it. "_If I only didn't hurt so much._" Popuri mused as she reached the little clearing surrounding the hot springs.

A welcome wave of warm air radiating off the hot springs came drifting past Popuri. The sudden change in temperature nearly lifted Popuri off her feet. Almost like a sampler, the teasing warmth drew Popuri in. She was already undressing before she had even reached the change room. Her logic stated that it was still to early and dark for anyone to notice her. Popuri spent practically no time at all in the little entrance, just stopping long enough to toss her bundle of clothes to the floor. Soon, she was up to her neck in the relaxing water.

The water caressed her body, slowly massaging away at her aching form. There was nothing she could do to stop from slipping away into a sweet blissful state. Her mind emptied of all thoughts, wavering towards a state of complete inner peace. "_It's been too long since I last did this._" Popuri thought, just before drifting back to sleep.

(-)

"Good morning, Popuri!" A cheerful voice awakened Popuri from her slumber. Popuri's eyes shot open, but she stayed where she was lying, her head resting comfortable against one of the rocks surrounding the pool. Judging from the sun's new position, she had slept for a good hour and a half. "Mind if I join you?" The newcomer asked.

Popuri allowed herself a dreary smile. "Come on in, Ann." Popuri didn't even bother glancing in Ann's direction, instinctively knowing that it was her. If the familiar voice and daily presence at the springs didn't warrant a reason to identify the new arrival, common sense told Popuri that she would be best off to respect the other girl's privacy. With the ways things had been going in Mineral Town over the past few weeks, Popuri didn't need another issue on hand.

Ann slowly slipped her body into the springs, getting accustomed to the warm water. A tiny ripple of water came across the pool, drifting across Popuri's face. Now, she was perfectly awake. She pushed herself over a few inches into a little nook that allowed her to sit without moving her posture. As she sat up, Popuri looked over at Ann, "How was the festival yesterday? I kind of missed it."

"It was pretty much the same as any other year." Ann replied with a shrug of her shoulders, a hint of disappointment in her tone. "_At least I didn't miss anything good._" Popuri thought. But, Ann wasn't finished. "Oh! There was one thing different. You know Jack? He rode Barley's entry into the race."

Popuri silently cursed her ill fortunes. She had an opportunity to combine two of her favorite things, horses and Jack, into one neat little package. At least she had got a chance to see Jack's young colt the day before. Sometimes you had to make the best of your situation if you didn't get what you wanted. But still, that one upside wasn't as good as the other possibility.

Ann and Popuri kept on talking for nearly an hour. Popuri quickly learned that Ann was just as infatuated with Jack as she was. She too, was jealous that Elli was the lucky girl who was the object of Jack's affection. "It's just not fair…" Ann was complaining. "We finally get a really hot guy to come to this town and he ends up hooking up with the first girl he sees."

"Actually…" Popuri cut in. "I think I'm the first girl he saw. He came up here and consoled me after one of my chickens was killed."

"Lucky!" Ann exclaimed. Popuri wasn't quite sure if Ann was saying that Pon's death was lucky or Jack's bit of good heartedness was the lucky thing. "_It better be the latter…_" She grumbled, thinking hateful things about the girl sitting across the hot springs from her.

Suddenly, a stray thought forced Popuri to ask, "Wait… Aren't you and Cliff a thing?"

Ann quickly shook her head. "No way! Cliff is way to shy for my tastes. I've never had a conversation with him that included him saying more than 'Uhhhh… Hi Ann… Uhhh…'Who are you asking me about other guys? You're still dating Kai and your flirting with Jack while your boyfriend's gone."

"Kai?" She had nearly forgotten about that lovable guy who thought he was a sailor. Didn't he know that he looked gay with the purple bandanna tied around his tanned forehead? The only good thing about the guy was that he pissed off Rick. At the rate that her relationship with Jack was developing, pretty soon Rock would hate Jack. Goodbye, Kai.

Popuri was about to answer Ann's question when a timid voice spoke up from the entrance to the hot springs. "Have you seen my sister? I can't find her anywhere." A teary eyed Stu asked. He was clearly worried, looking around him in hopes that he could spot Elli somewhere. He held a tiny puppy, Jack's, clutched tightly to his chest.

A twinge of sympathy immediately tugged at Popuri's heart. Everybody in the entire town loved Stu, always treating him to cookies and other goodies. Now to see the little guy so depressed made Popuri's natural caretaker instincts to kick in. She reached out to offer Stu a hug. Ann was doing the same. "No… Elli…" Stu muttered, stepping a few paces away from the two girls in the hot spring.

"_Oh, my goddess…_" Popuri found herself realizing a deep, dark possibility. "_What if I really did attack Elli? What if… I killed her?_" "I've got to go." Popuri stated, climbing out of the water and donning her clothing. Stu adverted his eyes and unintentionally fell into Ann's embrace. His eyes were brimming with tears. If she didn't have such a potentially guilty conscious, she would have stayed there with Stu.

First and foremost, Popuri needed to get somewhere safe, where she could figure out what really happened yesterday. That safe place was home, where she could always trust her mother to be there for her. In fact, Popuri was so distraught that she didn't even notice Jack approaching the hot springs. That says a lot about a person. Pass by someone who you're deeply attracted to and you don't even notice the poor sap.

Jack didn't even seem to notice Popuri hurry past him. The tiny puppy jumped out of Stu's arms and rushed over to Jack's welcoming hands. Stu followed after the little dog, ending up in the same position as the preceding dog. Jack tightly clutched the two tiny creatures, gently whispering, "It's ok, Stu. I'll help you find Elli. I'm here for you."

Ann, meanwhile, was awestruck. Her mouth was hanging open as she drooled over the sight of Jack. "_He's even a good father figure._" She thought, twirling a strand of hair around her pointer finger, seductively flirting with Jack. Jack noticed Ann's actions and smiled. "Hey… How you doing?"

(-)

Popuri burst into the door of her house. Her mother looked up in surprise. Lillia didn't even know that her daughter was even awake yet, so the sight of the distressed girl was definitely strange. "What is it, dear?" Lillia asked as Popuri collapsed into the couch.

The younger woman said nothing. All she did was gaze at the empty fireplace. Lillia knew that something was deeply bothering her little girl, but Popuri didn't seem to want to mention it. Popuri's lips were quivering as she thought about what she had learned moments ago. Finally, Popuri spoke. "Mom… I think I killed Elli."

"Oh, my…" Lillia gasped, immediately coming to grasps with what was bothering Popuri. She immediately held onto her daughter, gently petting her head, parting her wet locks of hair, doing whatever she could to console the girl. Popuri had fallen into tears, sobbing uncontrollably, despite her mother's best efforts. Lillia lifted her daughter's head and looked into Popuri's eyes. "Are you sure that you killed her?"

"I don't know. I really don't know. I thought that it was only a dream, but maybe it wasn't. I don't remember any of it." Popuri explained, shaking her head in denial.

Lillia got up and filled a glass with water, placing the drink in Popuri's hands. "Drink. It will calm your nerves. I think I need a drink myself." Lillia headed over to the fireplace and pushed aside one of the bricks. "Thank the goddess for Rick's private stash." Lillia proclaimed, holding up a bottle of liquor that she had extracted from the tiny alcove.

An awkward silence filled as the two women drank their emotions into check. Popuri calmed herself and Lillia tried to forget the entire incident. It provided a very strange scene as Rick walked inside. He took a couple of looks at both of his family members and shook his head. "I don't want to know, do I?" was all that he said before turning right around and back outside.

"Don't worry, dear, nothing's going to happen to you." Lillia consoled.

Popuri looked up expectantly. "That's right!" She realized. "I couldn't have killed Elli. I'm just too pure and innocent to do something like that! I don't have to worry about anything at all!" A nervous laugh escaped her lips.

At this point, Rick burst back into the house. He headed straight to Popuri, joining his sister on the couch. He looked extremely worried about something. "Popuri, Officer Harris is outside and he wants to talk with you. He said it has something to do with Elli."  
"Run! Hide!" Lillia ordered. Popuri jumped out of her seat and rushed upstairs.

"Maybe, I should go up there and tell her I was joking." Rick asked himself after hearing the sound of a window sliding open.

"You were pulling a prank on your sister?" Lillia was shocked. "Come back down, dear! Your brother was just being a jerk!"

Rick shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly as he explained himself. "I listened in after I burst in. It was just a fright tactic that should scare her into behaving herself."

"Rick, how could you?" Popuri demanded, appearing at the top of the stairs.

"Geeze, sis. You should know by now that I would do nothing to hurt you. I won't let anyone hurt you, even someone like Elli." Rick replied. It didn't occur to anyone that Rick sounded rather sinister when he made that last statement. Lillia and Popuri were too busy worrying about their own thoughts to realize that Rick might have just implicated himself.

The tense situation worsened when a knock sounded on the door. Both women jumped at the unexpected sound. Rick was quick to get to the door and answer it. Mayor Thomas was standing on the front porch, his hat clutched tightly to his chest. "May I come in? I have some rather dreadful news." The Mayor asked.

Rick stepped aside, allowing Thomas inside. The Mayor looked around, slightly confused by the strange situation that he had walked into. "I hope I didn't disrupt anything." He apologized to Lillia.

Lillia quickly cast aside the apology. "No, no, no. We were doing nothing of importance. What was it that you came here to tell us?"

Thomas brushed a teardrop away from the corner of his eye. "The search for Elli has ended. We found her body washed up on shore a few minutes ago. It appears that she was murdered."

(-)

_A/N: I have finally gotten around to the true purpose of this fic. Welcome to a Harvest Moon murder mystery! The bodies will slowly begin to pile up as a crazed murderer roams around Mineral Town. Try to figure out who it is. Even harder will be to figure out who takes down the murderer, if he or she is ever discovered. At this point, I apologize for every character who will die. If I angered anyone, I'm sorry. Thanks for reading, please keep reading, and please review._


	5. Drowning Sorrows

**Unhealthy Attraction**

**Chapter 5: Drowning Sorrows**

_A/N: It's great to see so many people trying to figure out who the murderer is. Nearly every guess makes sense in some way or another. I figured that I might as well go along with everyone's opinion here. Most of you are sympathizing with Popuri and are considering her to be a victim, despite my attempts to turn her into a crazed stalker. So, I'll make her a bit more normal, but she will still be a little crazy at times. Well, enjoy this chapter and keep of the detective work._

_Legal note: I do not own the song that Jack butchers in this chapter. I think that it's been altered enough so that it won't break any copyrights. It's actually supposed to be that one song about some dude who killed his girlfriend in a car accident. I don't know what it's called or who sings it, either._

(-)

The Cooking Festival for today was cancelled. In its place was going to be a funeral and Popuri had nothing to wear. Well, not nothing to be exact. She had that black corset-like undershirt that she always wore above her clothing instead of below them. It wasn't really the appropriate kind of thing to be wearing to a funeral. Plus, she didn't have a matching bottom half to it.

"Come on Popuri! We're going to be late!" Rick called up to Popuri.

That's right. She couldn't show up late to the funeral, it would only draw more suspicion onto her. Half the townspeople were already pointing at her, saying that she was the one who killed dear, innocent Elli. "_She wasn't even close to innocent!_" Popuri fumed, remembering that evening when she had overseen the late night romance unfolding.

The other half of the town didn't know who to accuse of the dastardly deed. So many people had a motive for taking Elli out of the picture. A few pointed to Doctor Tim, saying that since he could have his lovely assistant, nobody could. Others pointed at Jack, but they had no theory to work on. Why would a good looking guy kill of his own girlfriend? It just didn't make sense.

Still, other fingers were being pointed at less likely murderers. Gotz was accused by Won, who claimed that the wood cutter had gone insane and was hunting for somebody to join him in his perpetual sorrow. In return Gotz accused the peddler, saying that Won had probably offended Elli by offering to sell her birth control pills, which led to a fight and somehow Won had won. Even Pastor Carter and the Harvest Sprites were not spared from the accusations flying around town.

Popuri didn't think that it was any of them. The person who she though was the murderer was waiting downstairs for her. That's right, she thought Rick did it. The day after they found the body, after giving her statement to Officer Harris like the rest of the village, Popuri had returned to her chores. She was feeding the young chicken that was Pon's replacement, reminiscing about how peaceful it had been before all of this turmoil started.

Once finished, Popuri was closing the door when she noticed a hammer shoved away behind the row of chicken feeds. She recognized the hammer as Rick's, thinking that it was odd for the tool to be so far away from where he normally kept his equipment. Popuri stretched out, reaching until she could feel the cold metal on her fingertips. She smiled at being able to reach the tool, wrapping her hand around the head of the hammer.

Instantly, she knew something was amiss. The tool was all sticky, covered with a hardening liquid. Popuri reeled back her hand and screamed at the sight of her blood covered extremity. The chickens around her became alarmed by her outburst, taking flight. White feathers were everywhere, with Popuri screaming in the center of the mess. Upon confronting her brother with the blood covered weapon, Rick had the nerve to say that he had used that hammer to kill Pon. "_Why would he say such a horribly lie?_"

Back to the more pressing issue at hand, Popuri had managed to locate a somewhat dull colored skirt that she could wear to the funeral. "_Grey is such a depressing color_" She thought as she slipped the skirt on. Rick's impatient foot tapping echoed up to her room, telling her that she had better hurry a bit more. Popuri gave a final tug on her corset strings as she gave herself a final check over in the mirror. The tapping was growing rapider. "I'm on my way!" She called out, brushing her pink hair out of her face.

Rick was clearly upset with her. "We have five minutes to get there before it starts. I don't want you to be late!" "_More like you don't want to be late yourself._" Popuri withheld this comment, choosing instead to smile sarcastically at her brother as she joined him at his side. "Let's go." She whispered quietly.

The two siblings silently made their way through town and towards the church. Dreary, depressing music from the organ inside the church drifted eerily through the early morning setting. Rick and Popuri were arriving just as the music was dying down. The crowd of mourners had already gathered in the courtyard of the church. Popuri and Rick quickly slipped among the gathered people, blending in as easily as a girl with pink hair can.

Pastor Carter was just starting to recite an opening prayer. Popuri chose to not pay attention to the rather boring scripture. She wasn't the most religious of people, although she did attend church every Sunday. That was mostly for show, though. She had much better things to do on a Sunday, like watch Jack work. Now there was something entertaining!

The tear-filled ceremony took well over two hours to complete. Pastor Carter drawled on and on about what a shame it was that Elli's life had been cut short. "_Real tragedy._" Popuri had thought to herself at one point during the drawn out burial.

A procession of people were called up to give emotional speeches about special moments that they shared with the dearly departed. The Pastor had thought that it would be a good idea for her boyfriend to give a short speech. But, when Jack's name was called, he was nowhere to be seen. It was at this point that Popuri noticed that Ann was missing as well. Now, this may have only been a coincidence, but it was mighty suspicious that Jack was absent from his lover's funeral and that a girl who was interested in him was missing in action. Quite a few of the villagers, the ones who accused Popuri of the murder in fact, waved off Jack's absence as emotional trauma.

So, it came as a surprise to Popuri when she went to the Inn after the funeral to attend a solemn gathering and Jack was sitting in the far corner. The farmer had surrounded himself in a protective semi-circle of empty bear mugs and was working on his… seventh drink? Ann, who apparently had been serving Jack during the funeral, was delivering another drink to Jack. The two engaged in a short, yet polite conversation as Ann placed the mug before Jack.

Popuri felt the familiar twinge of jealousy rise in her as she witnessed Ann fall under Jack's charm. "_His girlfriend died a few days ago and he's already moved on? What's with him?_" Popuri took a seat across the Inn from the flirting couple, within eyesight, and ordered a drink for herself from a rather suspicious Doug. Then, she settled in to watch.

Jack was obviously drunk. He was mumbling through the lines of a strange song, "Where… oh wear hassss my baaaabby… uhhhh… something? The lawrd tuk hir awei frum meeee!" He was having difficulty sitting upright, probably due to the fact that the room was spinning with very strange rotations. It even appeared that he had tied his rucksack to the table in an effort to stop him from falling over. Still, he drank. "_He must really be hurt,_" She thought, almost getting up to comfort the farmer, but Ann had come back.

"I've got to take these mugs back." Ann explained, trying to take a few of the glasses away from the semi-circle.

"No." Jack protested, pointing to his circle. "See these? You can't pass them."

Ann looked confused. "And why not? I can easily reach over them."

Jack was persisting that the mugs had created an invisible barrier around him. He had even resorted to miming that he was trapped inside his make believe barrier. Ann had had enough. "I'm not going to serve you any more drinks. You've definitely had enough already."

"But, I want drinks!" Jack protested as Ann gathered he mugs. When he realized that his whining wasn't winning over Ann, he switched to a different tactic. "You know… I find you very attractive… Maybe… we could go to my place?"

The red-haired waitress was speechless. Popuri was in a similar state. "_How could he? First Elli and now Ann! His tastes in women are really scary._" Popuri felt her fists tighten as the anger inside of her rose. This was exactly the same way that she had felt after seeing that late night rendezvous between Jack and Elli. Now there was another girl in between her and her goal of making the farmer hers.

Ann was crumbling under the onslaught of charm from the drunken farmer. It wouldn't be long until she gave in. Ann finally made up her mind, setting the tray of dishes down on the table as she sat down with Jack. Nearly instantly, Jack reached around her, smoothly wrapping his arm over her shoulders. Ann merely blushed, inching herself closer to Jack's side.

"Your foods ready." A stubborn Doug interrupted Popuri's vigilance. The owner of the Inn placed a steaming hot piece of pie before Popuri.

Popuri smiled bashfully, waving away the food. "I'm afraid that I'm not hungry anymore."

"Suit yourself." Doug replied, reclaiming the dish and heading back behind the counter. He cast an evil glare over at Ann and Jack before returning to his work. It seemed that he wasn't very pleased with the developing situation, either.

Popuri had had enough of this place. She just couldn't handle watching the man she had been in love with since her childhood was flirting with another girl, yet again. Didn't he believe in destiny? Popuri silently pushed her chair out from the table, got up, and left, trying not to attract anyone's attention. Then, she went home, and despite the early time of day, she went straight to bed, where she cried her heart out until she fell asleep.

(-)

A familiar knocking on the front door awoke Popuri. She didn't really care who it was, she just wanted to be left alone. Her bedside clock told her that it was only one o'clock in the morning. "_Why would someone be knocking on our door at this hour?_" Popuri groggily asked herself. She was too tired to even guess as to the reason of the rude wake-up call.

Rick's footsteps were heading down the hall to answer the increasingly impatient knocking. Whoever was outside wanted in urgently. Popuri listened as her brother descended the stairs and fumbled around to the door. There was a loud creak as Rick opened the door, followed by a few whispered words. Popuri was fully awake now, much against her own will, and her interest had been raised. She strained to listen into the conversation going on downstairs, but the voices were just too muffled to make out anything.

The visitor had apparently been let inside and Rick was starting up a fire. Whatever the visitor had to say was important enough to warrant that she wouldn't be going back to sleep anytime soon. So, Popuri climbed out of her bed, slipped on an robe, and went to join the people downstairs.

Just the sight of Mayor Thomas told Popuri that something bad had happened again. The mayor was sitting on the couch, mindlessly staring into the fire, tears brimming from his eyes. Popuri looked over at her brother for some answers, but Rick was far worse off than Thomas. Rick was curled up in the corner beside the fireplace, his face buried into the palms of his hands. For the first time in her life, Popuri witnessed her brother cry.

"Rick…" Popuri asked, inching towards her brother. She was worried for him, but she didn't know what to do or how to comfort him.

Rick had heard Popuri's voice, looking up into the eyes of his sister, his own eyes fighting to hold back the flood of tears. His lips quivered and his voice was cracking as he spoke a few words, "Karen's dead." Then, Rick returned to his sorrow, burying his head between his knees, not trying to hold back the sobs that racked his body.

The murderer had struck again, this time at someone who meant something to part of her family. Rick was no longer a suspect in Popuri's mind, just another victim of the collective travesty that had befallen Mineral Town. First Elli and now Karen. Who could possibly be evil enough to kill two young women?

Popuri suddenly felt very unsafe. Two young girls had been killed. Could this be the work of a twisted serial killer who had a fancy for girls her age? The young pink-haired Popuri rushed to her brother's side, offering compassion and seeking refuge at the same time. Rick paused his crying for a few seconds, only to look over at his sister, who was there for him when he needed it. He would have to repay the favor to her somehow.

Thomas broke his vow of silence, but his words came out as a stuttering mess. "I… I'm going to have… I'm sorry Rick… I know she meant a lot to you… We need to get everyone together and talk." The Mayor got up to feet and waddled over to Rick. "Stay strong, Rick." Thomas smiled weekly, patting Rick on the back before departing into the night, probably to deliver the horrible news to other families.

(-)

_A/N: I bet nobody was expecting that Karen would be the next to die. Once again, I apologize to everyone for killing off a character. Please, don't anyone take it personally. This goes for every future murder, if any, that take part in this fic._

_For the personal note: Neil is healing, despite infections galore and serious attempts to make the injury worse. That kid has a death wish. Mage is doing pretty good, but not great. She isn't responding well to the newest experimental drug that she's trying. But, other than that, she's doing good. On another note, I'll be coming out with a new Harvest Moon fic in the next couple of days!_


	6. Violence

**Unhealthy Attraction**

**Chapter 6: Violence**

_A/N: Good, my goal, so far, is complete. Hardly anyone is agreeing as to who they think the murderer is. I'm counting at least twelve suspects that you guys have pointed out. Maybe I shouldn't be giving everyone a motive… Nah! This is so much more entertaining! Don't bother asking me as to if you are right or not, everyone will find out who the killer is at the same time._

(-)

The entire town was gathered at the Inn, just as Mayor Thomas had ordered. Just a few short hours ago, the pudgy mayor had waked the entire village with the horrible news of another murder. Now, people demanded answers, wanting to know what was going on and if they were safe. Everyone's suspicions had become heightened, keeping an eye on the person closest to them. Who knew if that kind hearted soul was actually a disturbed individual who enjoyed murder?

The three remaining girls had gotten together and were discussing their worries. "I'm scared." Mary whimpered. Popuri and Ann nodded solemnly. They had grown up with Elli and Karen, and now, both were gone. For all they knew, one of them could be the next target of the killer if he or she decided to strike again.

"Popuri, I'm sorry that I thought you killed Elli." Ann admitted, "Hey, I even thought that I had a good reason to do it, too. Both of us are attracted to Jack and Elli was in our way. That gave us both a motive. But, Karen didn't have anything to do with Jack, so why would one of us kill her?"

"Oh, you two like Jack, too?" Mary asked. "_Great! Another rival!_" Popuri mused, angered at the thought that she would need to outshine two girls in order to win Jack after this was all over.

Silence quickly befell the gathered townspeople as Mayor Thomas cleared his throat. "Friends, I am afraid that we are faced with a serious problem." Thomas began, but was quickly interrupted by Sasha, yelling, "You're right that this is a problem! My daughter was murdered last night and I want to know who did it!" A shout of approval came from the villagers.

"Please stay calm, everyone. The good Doctor Tim is currently carrying out an autopsy and he should be coming by later with the results. We don't know if it will reveal anything useful, but it is worth a shot." Thomas explained.

"Where was her body found?" Gotz demanded.

Mayor Thomas had a bead of sweat running down his temple. He was under a huge amount of pressure to answer the villager's questions. "Jack found Karen's body draped up in the waterwheel on his farm."

"Well, isn't that convenient!" Doug huffed. "The person who found the body was the last person that Karen was with!"

"What are you implying, Doug?" Jack demanded.

The bartender shrugged his shoulders, "I just find it suspicious that when I closed the Inn last night, you left with Karen and she ended up dead."

All eyes were on Jack, who was shifting about nervously. "I don't really remember what happened last night. I was too drunk." Jack admitted.

"Then, what were you doing awake at that hour?" Thomas inquired. Things were starting to look really bad for the farmer. He was new to this town, so nobody knew much about his real character.

Jack was becoming really nervous, trying to back away into a shadow and hide from the prying eyes. "My dog was barking at something outside, so I went to check on it. That's when I found Karen."

Thomas obviously wasn't satisfied with Jack's response. "Jack, I'd like for you to stay behind after the meeting to answer some more questions for Officer Harris. For everyone else, I am imposing a curfew at nightfall. Anyone caught outdoors after the sun has set will be imprisoned for the night. Meeting adjourned."

Immediately the crowded Inn began to empty of occupants as everyone went to carry out their daily routines. Almost all of the suspicion that Popuri was the murderer had vanished, with Jack replacing her as the scapegoat. Popuri found herself letting everyone else leave, waiting for some privacy. Soon, it was only Popuri, Jack, Mayor Thomas, Doug, and Officer Harris left in the Inn. "You can leave Popuri. We didn't ask for you to stay." Harris stated rather coldly.

"I know." Popuri replied. Rather than head for the front door, she went straight to Jack. The farmer looked at her, curious as to what she was going to do. "I know you didn't kill those girls." Popuri whispered in Jack's ear as she walked past him and out the door.

Popuri decided that she had better walk home. Just the mere thought that she was alone frightened her. She was suspicious of everyone around her, feeling their probing eyes pierce through her heart. The best thing for her to do at the moment was to head home where it was safe.

The village square was buzzing with activity as the citizens of the town were holding a debate. Heated arguments, either accusing or defending a certain person, were tearing the town apart. It wouldn't be long until trusted friends became bitter enemies. The murderer had to be caught before anything else happened. Popuri hurried past the arguers, hoping not to be seen as she made for the path up to her house. Luckily, she managed to pass by undetected, reaching the path without catching the accusing glance of anyone.

Popuri's heart almost leapt out of her chest as she got in sight of her house. Waiting at the entrance to the farm was a darker skinned man wearing a purple bandanna around his forehead. The man was casually leaning against the fence that ran along the trail, waiting for her to come home. Popuri didn't want to see him here, or anywhere for that matter, again. Kai had arrived in Mineral Town.

Kai looked up at the sound of Popuri's approaching footsteps. "Hey, babe. Long time, no see."

"Not today, Kai. I have more urgent matters to deal with." Popuri stated as she pushed past Kai and into the farm yard. Suddenly, Kai reached out and grabbed her arm, yanking her back to face him. Popuri let out a surprised scream as Kai tightened his grip on her arm. "What are you doing?" She demanded, but her words sounded weak and frightened.

Kai looked at Popuri with an odd, almost sadistic, smile. "This wouldn't happen to include that farmer that you're interested in, does it?" Kai whispered, his voice dripping with cruel intentions. He was acting completely different than the Kai that she had known and once fell in live with.

"Let go of me!" Popuri screamed, twisting violently to break Kai's grip on her, but he wouldn't let his grip loosen even a little bit.

The smile on Kai's face was becoming grave and frightening, nearly reaching embodying evil. "I'd stay away from Jack, or you might end up like those other girls." Kai whispered deviously.

All color in Popuri's face drained. "_Did he just threaten to kill me?_" Popuri continued her struggle to escape from Kai, but he refused to let her go. Popuri felt herself getting angered by the actions of Kai. She reached out with an open palm, connecting cleanly with Kai's face.

Still, Kai held on, but now he was pissed off. Popuri uttered another scream as Kai raised a fist to strike her. Popuri closed her eyes, bracing for the pain, but it never came. Kai's grip on her arm was jerked away, freeing her. "_What happened?_" Popuri wondered, daring to peak open her eyes.

Kai was flat out on his back, trying desperately to fend off the punches of a very enraged Rick. Rick was unrelenting in his attack, refusing to stop after drawing blood. "Rick, that's enough!" Popuri whimpered, suddenly remembering her fear of Rick.

Rick must have heard Popuri's plea for him to cease because he stopped his assault on Kai. Kai quickly scampered to his feet, backing away from the still seething Rick. "I won't forget this! I'll get my revenge!" Kai shouted defiantly, holding a sleeve up to his bleeding nose.

This remark was dwarfed by Rick haunting response, "If you **EVER** lay a finger on my sister again, I won't hesitate to kill you." Kai immediately turned on his heels and ran off towards the beach. Surely, he would be reporting the incident to Thomas and Harris. "You ok, sis?" Rick asked, genuinely concerned.

Popuri rolled up her sleeve to uncover a patch of bruises from Kai's fingers. Her arm hurt beyond explanation, but she would be able to survive. "It's not that bad." She admitted, much to Rick's approval.

"I told you that I won't let anyone hurt you." Rick said, rather proudly. He had kept his promise to keep her safe. "_If only you didn't kill people as part of your protection._"

(-)

Later that night, Popuri was sitting on the couch before the empty fireplace. She had a bag of ice pressed up against her bruised shoulder, which was stiffening up on her. Just a slight shiver caused her to almost cry out it pain. Kai had definitely become a lot stronger since he last was in Mineral Town.

Rick was keeping a watchful eye over his sister, ready to jump to her aid at the slightest wince of pain. Their mother had already gone off to bed, being too tired from her trip out to town earlier. She had actually demanded that she be taken into town to take part in the town meeting. Now, she was feeling the strain put on her already weakened body from the exercise.

A loud knock on the door snapped both youths out of their daydreams. They exchanged a nervous glance at each other, both fearing the same thing. What if it was Mayor Thomas on the other side of the door, with news of another victim? Rick cautiously approached the door and opened it to reveal… Jack. "Hey, is Popuri around?" The farmer asked politely.

"No." Rick muttered, slamming the door in Jack's face.

"Rick!" Popuri exclaimed, getting up to her feet. She stormed over to the door and reopened it. On the other side, Jack was paused in mid sentence, right where he had left off when the door was shut on him. "Sorry about that, Jack. My brother's just being overprotective today. What did you need?" Popuri apologized, trying to sound as sweet as possible despite the pain rupturing in her throbbing arm.

Jack chuckled at Popuri's comment. "So I heard. Kai came storming into the Inn and started complaining about being assaulted. You worked him over pretty well." Jack complimented. Rick merely shrugged his shoulders, not saying anything. Jack continued as if he hadn't noticed the cold shoulder that he was being given by Rick. "I just came by to see if you were alright." Jack admitted.

Popuri's heart soared. "_Jack cares for me!_" Inside, she was jumping for joy. On the outside she attempted to remain cool and collected. "I'm fine. Thanks for the concern, but I'm sure that I'll recover."

Jack smiled warmly at the good news. "In that case, I wish you a quick recovery. May this assist you." Jack reached into his rucksack and produced a beautiful white flower, which he offered to Popuri. Popuri was blushing beyond belief as she accepted the gift. Rick, meanwhile, rolled his eyes in disgust.

"Wow, thanks!" Popuri exclaimed, lifting her eyes from the flower to thank Jack, but he had already left. Popuri rushed to follow after the farmer, but stopped on the front porch. Someone else had come back and wanted to interrupt everything.

Kai shook his head at Popuri, "I told you to stay away from Jack, or else you'll end up like Karen and Elli."

"Look, I didn't kill anyone!" Jack declared.

Rick had come outside upon hearing Kai's voice. Rick glared at both of the visitors, clearly not trusting either one. The three men had formed a triangle that was closing in. "Obviously, you didn't believe my threat." Rick spat out at Kai.

Kai was glancing around nervously, taking in the surroundings to see if there was anything nearby that he could use to protect himself with. Seeing nothing, he came up with a plan, "Hey, let's not fight here. It's too crowded. If you guys are serious about a fight, meet me on the beach at midnight." With his challenge placed, Kai ran for safety.

Rick glared over at Jack, "What about you?"

"I'm not interested in a fight, so I'll let you take him on by yourself. Good luck." Jack stated, taking a look up at the sky. Sure enough, the sun was already setting. "It's nearly curfew, so I should get home and finish my work." With that, Jack departed, leaving Rick alone.

"Rick, you don't need to fight Kai. He already knows that you mean business." Popuri pleaded, but she knew that it would be pointless to try and change his mind. He had been waiting for a long time to have a reason to fight Kai, and now he had the chance to do it twice in one day. There would be a showdown on the beach at midnight.

Rick had almost lost every hint of being a good guy. Now, he was just a violence craving madman. He smiled at Popuri, "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

(-)

_A/N: Actually, I have nothing to say… Just thanks for reading and please review. Next chapter update time will be posted on my profile, along with my other fics update window._


	7. Murderous Outburst

**Unhealthy Attraction**

**Chapter 7: Murderous Outburst**

_A/N: Welcome to another chapter! I guarantee that this chapter will make everyone rethink their list of suspects. In fact, me and Mage, who is doing great, are still arguing over who the murderer actually is. There are just so many people that have motivation to do it. We even can say that whoever dies could still have killed the people before and that there may be more than one murderer. I should probably shut-up and quit thinking out loud and start writing._

(-)

Popuri went to bed that night knowing that there was a good chance that another body would be showing up in the morning. If her suspicions about Rick were correct, Kai would no longer be enjoying the days of summer. Instead, Kai would be enjoying the inside of a casket, six feet underground. Popuri shuddered at the thought of how Rick would kill Kai. Her sleep was troubled with images too gruesome to be described.

The sound of footsteps creaking towards the door told her that Rick was leaving for the fight. Sure enough, the clock at her head told her that it was half past eleven, giving her brother plenty of time to collect a weapon on his way to the beach. Popuri fell back asleep, wishing for two things: Kai's safety, and in the event that Rick kills Kai, Rick's capture. She didn't want to attend another funeral.

The next morning, Popuri awoke naturally, not from a knock on the door from Mayor Thomas. She quickly got dressed and ran downstairs, where a hearty breakfast was waiting her. "Where's Rick at?" Popuri asked, as she began her breakfast.

"I don't think he has waked up yet." Lillia replied looking at the empty seat where Rick always filled. "_Odd… Rick never sleeps in. Maybe he's just tired from the fight, that's all._" Popuri told herself as she picked at her food, suddenly losing her appetite. She just couldn't eat until she found out the outcome of the fight. "I'm going to wake up Rick." She announced, rising up out of her seat.

"No, that's quite alright. Let him sleep in. He works harder than either of us, so he deserves the extra rest. Finish your breakfast before you wake him up." Lillia smiled, willing Popuri back into her seat. Popuri merely picked at her food for a few minutes, slowly stuffing an odd bite into her mouth. It was quite some time before she finished off the now cold food before her.

Popuri got out of her seat, placing the dirty dishes in the sink before hurrying up the stairs. "Rick! Wake up!" She called out as she opened the door to his room. Rick wasn't inside. The bed was neatly made as if no one had slept in it for a day. Suddenly, Popuri was filled with a sense of dread. What if Kai had been the murderer? Rick would have been walking into a death trap.

It all made perfect sense. Today was the twenty-fourth of Spring. Kai usually didn't show up until the twenty-ninth at the earliest. It just happened that he was here so early and people had been showing up dead. Kai easily could have been living in his shack for weeks and no one would have known. Only two people go to the beach during spring and one of the never stepped off the dock. Zach would have been too busy to notice Kai's presence, so it was possible.

"Mom, I'm going to go see Kai." Popuri called out as she climbed down the stairs. Lillia looked at her daughter, confusion across her face. First she had wanted to see Rick and now Kai. And why hadn't Rick come down for breakfast yet? Lillia was about to ask her daughter these questions, but it was too late. Popuri had already vanished out the front door.

Before leaving her farm, Popuri stopped by the chicken coop. She quickly fed the chickens before picking up the hammer, which was still stained with blood. "_Damn Kai, killed Pon!_" Her mind screamed as she left the chicken coop. She had figured out Kai's motivation for every killing and was sure that he was the murderer.

First off, he killed Pon so that Popuri would be very emotional and he would magically appear to comfort her. But, his plan was ruined when Jack showed up. Kai saw that there was something between Popuri and Jack, so he needed to do something to frighten Popuri away from Jack. So he killed Elli, and attempted to make it look like Jack did it.

Next, came Karen. Her death served two purposes, one to put more pressure on Jack. Two, to anger Rick and entice him away from his protective duties over Popuri. Now, with Rick out of the way, Kai had cleared the path to Popuri's heart. If only she hadn't been so suspicious, it might have worked.

Popuri didn't care for the frightened looks she received from the other villagers as she stormed into town. She had one goal and that was to confront Kai as to what happened to Rick. The hammer was held behind her, as to hide it from Kai's view, but the other villagers saw it. The blood stains on the tool become weapon were so obvious that a few people were already rushing to find Officer Harris.

The sand crumbled under her feet as she stepped onto the beach. The gentle crash of the ocean's waves covered her footsteps as she approached the tiny shack that Kai called home. Kai was standing outside, his bandana removed from the top of his head, letting his golden brown hair loose. The bandana had been retied to form an eye patch, which held a bag of ice in place over his right eye.

Kai saw Popuri approaching and made to hide his misshaped face from her. It was no use, as the light of day clearly illuminated the bruised features of Kai. "Rick must have really beat you up last night. But, where is he now?" Popuri inquired, feeling her grip on the hammer tighten.

"What are you talking about? Rick never showed his scumbag face here last night!" Kai claimed.

"Then who gave you those wounds?" Popuri demanded, angered that Kai had the nerve to talk about her brother like that, especially after receiving such a harsh beating. It was almost as if Kai knew that he was safe from any sort of retaliation that might be coming from Rick. Just the thought of Kai's arrogance was angering Popuri.

Kai shrugged his shoulders, resulting in a wince from him. "I don't know." He admitted. "Somebody jumped me."

"Liar." Popuri accused, knowing that this would draw out the truth from Kai. She let go of the hammer with one hand to point a finger at Kai. The hammer remained in her right hand. A whistle blast from the Village Square told Popuri that Harris was on his way.

"Popuri, your brother is too much of a coward to fight me. If he came here, I would have beaten him in a second. He's no worse than your father…" These were the last words out of Kai's mouth as Popuri swung out with the hammer, connecting squarely with the side of Kai's head. The whistle blasts had come to a stop as Kai slumped to the ground.

Popuri stared at the still twitching body of Kai, realization of what she had just done dawning on her. The hammer slipped out of her hands as she began to tremble with a primal fear. She rushed to Kai's side, placing forgiving, murderous hands on the body. "I'm sorry, Kai. I didn't mean to do it!" Popuri began to sob, placing her head against Kai's chest.

Someone grabbed hold of her arms, violently twisting them behind her back. In the same instant, the person thrust her to the sand, her face buried into the beach. "Popuri, you are under arrest for the murder of Kai. An investigation will be run to find out if you killed Elli and Karen." A pair of handcuffs were violently placed around her wrists as Harris continued. "You have the right to remain silent…"

(-)

As Mineral Town didn't have a jail, Popuri was placed under house arrest until the proper authorities arrived. That could be weeks, seasons even, since Mineral Town was such an isolated place. Officer Harris stood outside the front door of the Poultry Farm just to make sure that Popuri didn't escape. He alternated shifts with a stream of volunteers who were happy to see the murderer caught. Nobody believed Popuri's explanation as to Kai's guilt. Everyone preferred to believe what they saw with their own eyes. Popuri killed Kai and had probably killed before.

Rick's body was discovered later in the day. Pastor Carter found the body occupying the future grave of Karen, who was to be buried that day. The Pastor recruited the assistance of the villagers to dig two new graves for the murdered males. Luckily, the murders were over, and there would be no need to expand the graveyard deeper into the forest.

The case against Popuri wasn't near to as strong as the case Popuri had against Kai. Popuri had killed Elli out of jealousness, as well as Karen. Then, she dispatched of Rick because he was so overprotective. She had no motive to kill Kai, but there were enough witnesses to the crime that the motive was unnecessary.

Lillia offered as much support as possible to her condemned daughter, but it was of little use. Popuri had retreated into her own private world, refusing to say a word to a single soul other than herself. She kept mumbling about how she hadn't meant to kill Kai, that it wasn't her fault. She was only avenging her brother.

With every passing day, Popuri slipped further and further away from the realm of reality. For safety purposes, Popuri was locked in her own room, but the disturbing conversations echoed throughout the house. Other than the three daily deliveries of meals, Popuri had no contact with the outside world. There was no better cure for a serial killer than to drive them insane. That's sure to work.

Life in the village was slowly returning to normal. Spring came to an end and Summer started off with the annual Opening Day festival. It wasn't quite the same without the presence of Kai. Jack emerged victorious, but the victory celebration just didn't feel right. Mineral Town was missing the energetic youths that made each and every festival something special to look forward to.

Since the murders, some of the villagers were beginning to rethink as to who was at fault. There were still so many suspects with motivation to commit at least one of the killings. People were returning to their suspicious outlook at everyone else around them. By taking the steps forward to returning to normal, Mineral Town had fallen back into the normal mistrust that it was used to.

Everybody had a feeling that something really bad was about to happen and it was going to happen soon. Even with Popuri locked away in her room, people didn't feel safe with her around. The authorities had better arrive soon, or who knew how many deaths they would be investigating into. There were already four youths dead, threatening the future of Mineral Town as the chances of another generation began to slip away.

(-)

_A/N: I know that it's a short chapter, but I was getting a little too close to the next section of the fic. Wow, so Popuri killed Kai and Rick's dead too. Now who do you think did it?_


	8. The Storm

**Unhealthy Attraction**

**Chapter 8: The Storm**

_A/N: The following chapter is dedicated to the loving memory of Mage. I've moved my signature up to the top of my fics, so I hope nobody minds. I'm sorry for the delay between chapters, but I'm sure that everyone understands. Where did I leave off? Oh, yeah. Popuri killed Kai because she thought she was avenging Rick's death. The identity of the murderer has yet to be discovered, but the murderer may be already dead or confined to her room. Keep up the detective work!_

(-)

There was a loud knocking on the front door. This had become a part of the daily routine ever since Popuri killed Kai. Officer Harris stopped by at least four times a day, just to make sure that the young girl was still safely locked away in her room. Apparently, the proper authorities were having difficulty getting to Mineral Town, so Popuri had to be held under house arrest for a much longer period of time than was originally intended.

Lillia casually opened up the door, letting Harris inside. The officer was his normal cheery self, even taking the recent events into account. "Good morning Lillia." Harris nodded, dipping his cap towards the lady.

"Good morning, Harris. Would you like a cup of tea?" Lillia greeted, smiling sweetly as she motioned towards the kitchen. Sure enough, there was a boiling pot of tea ready on the stove.

Harris gladly accepted the drink, settling himself into one of the kitchen chairs. "How is Popuri holding up?" He asked, taking a tiny sip of his tea. "Wow, this is good! Where did you get it?"

Lillia smiled at the compliment. "Oh, that. Jack brought it over a couple of days ago. He said he got it from the Harvest Sprites. As for Popuri, she's having a little difficulty getting over the fact that she killed Kai. Other than that, she seems normal enough."

"Good to hear. I'm afraid that it will be a few days longer before the big guys at headquarters come by to pick her up. There's a big storm heading our way that should hit sometime tonight and last for a day or two." Harris claimed.

"Thanks for the warning, officer. I'll make sure to stay inside." Both Lillia and Harris laughed at Lillia's unintentional joke. "Since it is going to be so dangerous to go outside during the storm, do you think that Popuri could come out of her room? I promise that she won't leave the house."

Harris considered the proposition, seeing no possible harm that could come of it. "That sounds reasonable. But, be warned. If anything else should happen, you will be held just as responsible as she will."

"I understand." Lillia replied, walking back to the kitchen. She gently lifted the kettle off the stove. "Care for a refill?"

"No thanks." Harris shook his head, declining another cup of the delicious tea. "I still have to go warn everyone else about the storm. If I didn't, I would accept your offer. I'll be back after the storm has subsided."

Lillia smiled again, bidding the officer farewell. Harris carefully shut the door behind him as he exited, leaving Lillia and Popuri alone. A sigh escaped Lillia's lips as she began climbing up the stairs to the second level. "Popuri?" Lillia called out, knocking lightly on her daughter's door.

"What?" A cold voice, devoid of any emotion except anger demanded. Lillia had grown accustomed to the empty shell that had once been her charismatic daughter. Quite often, during the middle of the night, Lillia could overhear Popuri's conversations with herself. Popuri kept stating how cruel everyone was treating her, just because she took the law into her own hands. All she had done was slay the man who had killed her brother.

"Officer Harris came by…" Lillia began but Popuri quickly added in, "Jerk." Lillia took a deep breath in before continuing, "Well, he said that Mineral Town is going to be hit by a storm tonight. It will be incredibly dangerous to go outside during the storm, but he gave permission for me to let you out of your room."

"The weather will reflect my heart. Darker and full of destruction." Popuri whispered, chuckling slightly at the reference. That was another thing that had changed about Popuri. She was becoming evil or maybe it was just the insanity talking. Whatever it was, Lillia was sure that it was just a temporary phase of her young life and it would pass. A little social conversation would be able to change her.

Lillia reached into one of the pockets of her apron and produced a small silver key. Shortly after the murders had stopped and Popuri had been caught, Gotz had came by and installed a lock on Popuri's door. It was to make sure that she couldn't hurt anyone else. If someone else had shown up dead, Popuri would be cleared of the charges. Now, Popuri was being set free. Lillia inserted the key into the keyhole and turned.

Instantly, the door was thrust open, slamming Lillia against the opposite wall. Popuri burst out of her room, her pink hair with new black streaks trailing out behind her. Lillia forced herself upright, holding the back of her head to stop the throbbing pain. The sound of a door slamming shut downstairs told Lillia that Popuri had escaped into the outside world. Officer Harris had been right, Mineral Town was in great danger, but it wasn't from the storm. Popuri was loose.

The room around Lillia was spinning wildly out of control. She tried desperately to stay on her feet, but every additional step that she took sent her reeling. Her vision was darkening into a tightening tunnel of blurred light. If only she could get outside, then she might be able to warn somebody. Lillia reached the top of the stairs, dragging herself forward. The throbbing in her head was overwhelming, finally forcing Lillia to fall into unconsciousness.

(-)

Lillia awoke much later and found herself staring into a bright light directly overhead. "Good to see that you finally woke up, Lillia." A friendly voice stated from her side. Lillia turned her head to face the speaker, but her eyes were still adjust to the sudden flash of light, so she couldn't make out the figure. All she could make out was the white outline of a seated figure.

"Where am I? How did I get here? Where's Popuri?" Lillia blurted out, jolting upright. A pair of strong, reassuring hands gently pushed her back down. "Don't stress yourself. You suffered one hell of a concussion." The voice gently stated, trying to calm the frantic woman.

There was a loud, steady stream of raindrops splattering against the building, whatever it was. The wind howled violently, sounding as if it was strong enough to jerk a tree out of the ground and toss it aside like a toy. The storm had obviously hit Mineral Town.

The surroundings were becoming a bit clearer to Lillia. She was laying on a nice, soft bed. There was a curtain surrounding the bed and seated beside her was Doctor Tim. Somehow, she had gotten to the Clinic.

Tim saw that Lillia was becoming calm, and decided to try explaining things to her. "As you can tell, you're in the Clinic. You're quite lucky that Barley found you when he did. He saw that Popuri had escaped, so he figured that something had happened to you. Barley got Jack to help carry you here and that's about everything."

Lillia was still in shock that her very own daughter had attacked her. She knew that Popuri was a troubled individual, but not to the point that she would strike out at Lillia. "Where is Popuri now?" Lillia repeated her earlier question.

The doctor shrugged his shoulders, "Nobody has a clue. Barley said that when he saw her, she was headed down to the beach. If that's true, then I fear the worst. That storm out there is a bad one. Anything left out there in this weather surely wouldn't survive."

A loud clash of thunder caused Lillia to jump. What Tim was saying definitely had merit to it. Just judging from the crashing noises that boomed from outside, Lillia knew that this was the worst storm to hit Mineral Town in decades. And her poor little Popuri was stuck outside in it.

Tim cleared his throat, apparently interested in asking Lillia some questions of his own. "I studied psychology for a few years in med school. If you wouldn't mind, could you answer some questions about Popuri? It would help me prove her guilt or innocence in relation to the other murders." Upon Lillia's nod, he continued with his questions. "How would you best describe Popuri's current mental state?"

Lillia's mind flashed the image of her crazed daughter bursting out of her room. She had only seen Popuri's face for a fraction of a second, but she would never forget those features. Her joyful, ruby red eyes had a certain level of bloodlust in them. Then, there was her hair… Those sinister black strands of hair contrasting against the peaceful pink base. Popuri looked almost like a demon out of the books of mythology. "I don't know. There's definitely something about her that's gone wrong." If that wasn't the understatement of the century, then Lillia didn't know what could be.

Tim thought about Lillia's comment for a few seconds before approaching her with another question. This one was much more serious than the first. "Do you think that Popuri killed all of those people?"

"No." Lillia quickly replied. In her mind, Popuri was still that little naive angel that everyone fell in love with. Yes, she had killed Kai, but she had a good reason for that. The same couldn't be said for the other murders. Well… maybe for Elli and Karen, but definitely not for Rick. Rick was her protector, even if she didn't like that fact.

The doctor considered Lillia's facial expressions as she thought about her answer. His head fell forward and he whispered, "I believe you."

"You do?" Lillia asked in amazement. There was actually someone in this town that still believe that Popuri was partly innocent?

"Yes, I do. I had never suspected her of any of the murders except for the Kai murder, which was witnessed by others. None of the evidence pointed to her, despite the fact that she had plenty of motive." Tim explained as he jotted down a few notes.

Lillia had gotten to know Tim quite well over the past few years, ever since she became ill. He had always given his honest opinion even if it wasn't about something good. So, the fact that he believed in Popuri's innocence truly meant something to her. "Thank you." Lillia whispered as she slipped back down in her bed.

Tim blushed slightly as he got up out of his rolling stool. "Don't mention it." The doctor adjusted his coat slightly as he stepped over to the curtain. "You'll have to stay here until the storm is over. If you need anything, I'll be upstairs."

(-)

Two days later, the storm finally came to an end. The rain stopped and the sun broke through the clouds. Tim entered into Lillia's room, his head hung low. "What is it?" Lillia asked.

"They found another body." Tim announced, his voice sounding more annoyed rather than upset. Probably, he was tired of all the work that he had been doing lately.

"Who was it?" Lillia questioned, fearing that Popuri had met an unfortunate end due to the storm.

Tim shook his head, instantly calming Lillia's fears. "No, it was Officer Harris. His body was found up on Mother's Hill, near the tiny lake. The other villagers are bringing in his body later today. I'll be releasing you later to make room for the autopsy. I hope you feel well enough to travel home."

Lillia felt somewhat confused. She had her own opinions as to who she thought was the murderer. But now, having the murderer break their pattern, her suspicions needed to be rethought. Plus, Popuri was loose and had plenty of reason to kill Harris. The officer was the one who had ordered Popuri to be locked in her room. Popuri never was one to take kindly to people who bossed her around.

(-)

_A/N: There's the chapter, I hope that I've thrown a wrench into everyone's suspect list. If you thought that that was a big twist, wait until next chapter. That one's going to leave many people stunned._


	9. Murderer!

**Unhealthy Attraction**

**Chapter 9: Murderer!**

_A/N: Dedicated to the loving memory of Mage. I will admit one tiny little thing before I start this chapter. Somebody has guessed the correct murderer, but I'm not telling who or when the review was posted. I will reveal the identity of the murderer in the final chapter. Yeah, that's right. I'm ending this fic after this chapter. I don't really want to kill anyone else. I think that I've killed enough people and messed with people's heads for long enough. It's a little abrupt for an ending, but I feel that this is a good place to end it. Don't worry; I'll be coming out with another great fic in the near future._

(-)

"Where can Popuri be?" Thomas demanded. His face was mere inches away from Lillia's. She had just been released from the Clinic just an hour ago and the Mayor was already on her about the whereabouts of her missing daughter. At least she was at home, where she felt safe in her own little world.

"I don't know. I honestly don't know." Lillia admitted, nearly bursting into tears. Thomas had been so rude during this meeting. He had even accused Lillia of being an accomplice to Popuri for all of the murders. She had told him where to go, roughly translating as "Travel to a place where the devil likes to make his stay, tormenting tortured souls for all of eternity."

Thomas was nowhere near sanity, obviously as a result of hearing the news that his own son was the latest victim of the murderer. Thomas figured that he could only point to one person, Popuri, who conveniently had gone missing. Things definitely didn't look good for Lillia's daughter. It was still unsure if the girl had even managed to survive the storm.

There they were, standing on either side of the doorway to the Poultry Farm. Tim had been kind enough to arrange for Lillia to be taken home before he dealt with the tedious task of the autopsy. "Look, you were warned. You were responsible for Popuri until the authorities came for her. So, this is your entire fault for letting her loose." Thomas soon found himself talking to a locked door as Lillia slammed it shut in his face.

"Poor Popuri, why did you run?" Lillia asked herself, slowly making her way across the room towards the stairs. Maybe she could find a clue in Popuri's room. She shook her head, still in disbelief that her own daughter had injured her. There was even a dent in the wall where her head had hit.

The door to Popuri's room was still gaping wide open, just as it had been left. Lillia stood in the doorway, looking over the room, remembering all of the fond memories of Popuri growing up. At the moment, the room was a complete disaster. Clothes were strewn all across the floor, the bed was unmade, and the window was ajar… "Wait, if the window was open, then why did Popuri wait for me to open the door to escape?" Lillia soon figured out what had happened. Popuri had come back home at some point over the last few days.

Lillia quickly went to work searching the room for some sort of note or message left behind by Popuri when she returned. It was almost a guarantee that Popuri would have left something to reassure her mother that she was safe. It didn't take long for Lillia to find the letter, tucked safely away in a pillowcase, which was nowhere near the pillow that it belonged to. Lillia's hands were shaking as she unfolded the paper and began reading Popuri's handwriting.  
_Mom, I'm sorry for what I did to you. I didn't mean to hurt you, but I just had to get out of here. Don't worry about me, I found a safe place to stay until the storm ends. I will come back the day after the storm ends to say goodbye to you. I will be leaving Mineral Town forever. Nobody here trusts me anymore. I can't take a step outside without receiving angry stares from the entire village. I'm sure you understand._

"Yes, I do, dear." Lillia whispered, a tear threatening to fall from Lillia's eye as she finished reading the letter. All that she had ever wanted in life was for Popuri to be happy, but she hadn't been able to give even that simple gift to her. Everyone that she had loved had left her. She had failed as both a mother and as a wife. The thing she needed most was to get some sleep. Maybe then she would be able to comprehend everything.

(-)

Lillia awoke the next morning with a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach. She felt like her gut had twisted itself into a crude pretzel. The sleep hadn't done a thing for Lillia except make her more upset over the entire matter. She kept having these nightmares where she was a little kid again, but her own parents had abandoned her. But the longer the dream went the more she began to look and act like Popuri. Every time, she awoke in a pool of sweat. She would fall asleep again in a few minutes only to have the same nightmare over and over again.

She had moved downstairs to the couch at one point in the night, thinking that it would be better if she was closer to the door, just in case Popuri showed up during the middle of the night. Lillia didn't know what she would do if she missed Popuri's visit. Today might be the last time she saw her daughter.

Lillia made herself a cup of tea and settled herself into a chair. Her eyes were glued to the door, waiting for it to crack open and her daughter to sneak in. She had to brace herself for the flood of emotions that was sure to burst through her barrier as soon as she saw Popuri. There were so many things that she wanted to tell Popuri, and yet she knew there wouldn't be enough time. Thomas was sure to stop by again today to harass Lillia.

The hours ticked by, morning turned to afternoon and afternoon turned to night. Lillia was almost at the point of giving up her vigilance, getting up out of her seat when the door creaked open. A cloaked figure quickly darted inside, holding the door open and waving someone else inside. A second person rushed inside and the first one locked the door behind them.

The second figure was much taller than the first and had more meat on their bones. The first cloaked figure approached Lillia, slowly raising their hands to pull down the hood that covered their face. As soon as the first strand of pink hair fell into view, Lillia was embracing her daughter. "I've been so worried about you, dear." Lillia was almost ready to burst into tears of joy at the happy reunion, even if it was only going to be temporary.

"Mom, if you're happy to see me, wait till you find out who this guy is." Popuri wriggled her way out of her mother's arms and pointed to the second person who had snuck in with her. Lillia looked over at the other cloaked person, wondering who it could possibly be.

The second figure stepped forward, hands rising up to the edges of his hood. Lillia's anticipation was almost at an unbearable point. The man dramatically lowered his hood and Lillia was left stunned. "Hey, Lillia." Lillia's husband smiled.

Lillia took a few seconds to get over the initial shock of seeing her husband. It had been several years since she had last seen Bill and now she was staring at him face to face. Bill held his arms open, expecting receive a hug from his wife. Instead, what he got left him doubled over in pain on the ground.

"What was that for?" Bill demanded thru gritted teeth.

Lillia stood over her husband staring down at the man she had once loved. "You don't remember that little incident? Let me refresh your memory. You cheated on me you bastard!"  
Popuri was in just as much shock as Lillia had been a few moments ago. She couldn't believe that her mother had just kneed her father in the crotch. Maybe, what Rick had told her about the relationship between her parents was true after all. "Define cheating." Bill dared.  
"Do you really want me to?" Lillia spat back.

Bill hung his head in shame. "No."

"Then tell me what you are doing here and how long you've been back for." Lillia demanded.

"I've been in Mineral Town for a good couple of seasons. Shortly before the New Year. I've been staying in the Winter Mine." Bill admitted with a smirk on his face.

"Wait… New Year! You told me that you just got into town the day of the storm when I ran into you on Mother's Hill!" Popuri whimpered. Her father had just lied to her. Great way to regain the trust of your family.

Lillia was slowly creeping towards her daughter, gently grabbing hold of Popuri's arm. Lillia leaned close to the young girl and whispered, "The murders started after your father came to town."

Bill laughed at the mention of murders. He reached inside his cloak and produced a tiny dagger. "Guess you figured it out what I've been up to since I got to town. Shame that I can't let you live with that secret." Bill advanced on the pair of women, twirling the blade on his fingertip.

Popuri and Lillia backed away from the advancing madman who began chuckling. He was trying to figure out which of the two to kill first. Bill stopped and reached back under his cloak. This time he produced a coin. He really had a sadistic mind when it came to murder. "_Maybe there was a way to take advantage of that_," Popuri thought before speaking to her father, "I'd bet that you would love to tell us how and why you killed everyone else."

Bill stopped and thought about Popuri's suggestion. "What kind of evil genius would I be without giving in to a victim's last request? Ok, so where do I begin." Bill motioned for Lillia and Popuri to take a seat on the couch as he got ready to tell his tale.

"Thank you Popuri, for always being there to take the blame for the murders. I did all of this to make sure that you and Jack would end up together. I overheard your little meeting by the hot springs, so that's when I decided to help you along. First off was that little brunette, Elli. You did most of that one Popuri. You knocked the poor girl out when she walked in on you at the stable. I decided to test her strength by tying her underneath the dock down at the beach. I guess that she couldn't undo the know."

Popuri and Lillia were appalled by the pure evil that was Bill, but they had to listen to the bragging in order to buy more time. Somebody might walk in on the scene and be able to help them. "Next was Karen. Now, she was a surprise kill. I was expecting to kill Ann, judging from how well she was getting along with Jack at the Inn. Oh, that reminds me, I'll kill her after you two. Soon, this entire hated town will be dead. Well, Karen had gone home with Jack, but she was a little drunk. So, I just guided her towards the waterwheel."

"Rick. My son. I hated that child from the day he was born. So, when I found him alone late at night, I took the opportunity. Just a quick slice across the neck and goodbye, Rick. Good job, Popuri, thinking that Rick was killed by Kai. I was going to kill him in a few days, but you did it for me."

"Last, there was Harris. That one was simple. I knocked him unconscious and tied him to a tree for the length of the storm. It was a mix of the elements and the rabid wolves that did him in. But, I stabbed him a couple of times to make sure he was dead. Now for my family."

Bill smiled as he grabbed Popuri's hair and jerked her head back. He held his knife against her throat, chuckling as he traced tiny lines across his daughter's neck. "Am I interrupting something?" A familiar voice asked from the door. Bill withdrew his knife and turned to face the new arrival, as did Lillia and Popuri.

There was Jack, his hands resting behind his head. He appeared to be completely relaxed. Bill instantly threw his knife at Jack, who surprised everyone by pulling out his sickle and knocking the flying blade aside. Jack smiled as he drew the dagger out of the wall where it had imbedded itself. "So you're the murderer, huh. You killed the woman I loved and it's time for you to pay."

"But, don't you love me?" Popuri asked innocently.

"Popuri, you were a close second to Elli, but that's not the most urgent thing at hand." Jack tossed the dagger at Bill's feet and motioned for the man to pick the weapon up. "I have somebody to avenge. I passed up on one fight to the death and now I challenge you."

Bill picked up the dagger and pointed it at Jack. "Kill number five." He stated. Bill made to run in for an attack, but his first step turned really wobbly. He fell to the ground, his legs giving out on him. The man was completely motionless. Everyone looked up to Lillia and the frying pan in her hand. "That's for breaking my heart."

(-)

The proper authorities came to Mineral Town later that day to arrest Popuri. Even though it was only a misunderstanding, Popuri was still charged with the murder of Kai. Bill was also taken into custody, charged with the murder of four people. Due to the pleading of both Lillia and Jack, Popuri was given a temporary sentence of being restricted to Mineral Town, which was approved by the villagers. It turns out that Kai had actually taken part of helping Bill organize some of the murders, hoping to eliminate his rivals for Popuri's love.

Jack and Popuri found out that they had more in common than originally expected. They agreed to go on a date in a weeks time, after all of this trouble got cleared up. Also, Jack agreed to take care of Stu as sort of a favor to his dear Elli.

Years went by, and eventually the people of Mineral Town were able to return to normal. Popuri got married to Jack a year after the murders. They had a son the year after, naming him Elliot. Ann, after losing Jack, hooked up with Cliff. Grey and Mary stayed together, unaffected by the murders. Poor Tim was the only bachelor left in Mineral Town, but one day he met a traveler named Nami. He's training her to be a nurse.

(-)

_A/N: I know that the ending is somewhat abrupt. That's the one major fault with my writing. I come up with good ideas, but I don't have enough material to play the story out for very long. Then, when I'm almost done, I try wrapping it up in a sensible way._

_Hopefully, you all enjoyed trying to solve this murder. I'll admit that I was having difficulty deciding who to make the murderer up until the end. I stuck with Mage's original plan, and I think it worked. Our other suspects were Jack, initially we were going to make him have the ability to give people suggestions and kill them after he used his power on them. That explains the plan with the Elli thing. Then, we figured that was going to be too obvious, so we switched it to a mix of Popuri and Lillia. My one regret about this fic is that I made Popuri kill Kai. That honestly messed up some of my plans by having her under house arrest. Well enough blabbering. I have a new fic in the works and it will be coming very soon. Tint out._


End file.
